Before It's Too Late
by hearthandhomeauthor
Summary: Walker Texas Ranger's "Countdown" and Sons of Thunder's "Moment of Truth" episodes collide when Katheryn must rise to the challenge and keep the crippled H.O.P.E. center protected from further peril when the anthrax scare strikes. Meanwhile, Carlos must navigate his future when he turns in his shield for good. Thunder Investigations is born. / Legacy of Thunder series (no. 16)
1. Chapter 1

_**.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **If you are familiar with my "Legacy of Thunder" series, you already know that I am writing chronologically with the series itself, weaving my own original stories into canon material from the show. Currently, my recent stories have been set around the time of the latter part of season seven (or DVD season six). For a long time it has been my desire to merge**_ **Walker Texas Ranger _and_ Sons of Thunder _into one_ _to see just how the new Rangers plus our two PIs could have worked and experienced life together...the way WTR should have been. And now that my two lead OCs have been added to the WTR/SOT world, I am looking forward to seeing all the worlds combined and working as one._**

 ** _In this story, two months have passed since the previous story. In it we will see the episodes "Countdown" from WTR and "Moment of Truth" from SOT play out as if they were happening at the exact same time with some adjustments in the time frame that I have worked to sort out from watching each episode thoroughly. This is coupled with a new original story involving Katheryn and how the H.O.P.E. center copes with the impending anthrax disaster. You will also see how "Moment of Truth" effects Katheryn and the others._**

* * *

 **BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE**

 **Chapter One**

* * *

Katheryn's eyes narrowed over her work as she carefully placed her second photo from her large pile onto the empty canvas of her scrapbook, checking to be sure the alignment was perfect before she applied any glue to secure the picture in place. It was an excellent Polaroid photo she had managed to capture herself from the sidelines of the Texas state karate championship tournament just three weeks ago. In the picture, Tommy raised his trophy high in the air while Trent cheered him on by his side. Katheryn would have loved to have been included in the moment but sacrificed the desire for the sake of capturing the moment onto photo. And as she caught herself smiling, remembering that victorious moment, Katheryn returned to reality with a shake of her head, cherishing the memory. Then she looked over at the stack of photos on the kitchen counter she still had to scrapbook. It wasn't her favorite task—sitting silently at the counter in the perfectly sun-lit apartment, wasting away a perfect afternoon on a wooden barstool next to Molly, cropping photos and pasting them into scrapbooks. But it was well-worth every minute of time spent with her best friend to preserve the memories. Besides, she could use the time to unwind after the busy two months they had experienced recently after Trent healed from his struggle with Leon.

After a friendly tussle of words between best friends regarding how things were going between themselves and their respective menfolk these days, Katheryn was rather thankful for the interrupting knock on their apartment door and hurried to answer it. "Trent! Carlos! We weren't expecting you over." She glanced over the old t-shirt and baggy jeans she was wearing. "Sorry. I've been doing some housecleaning today. And you guys just interrupted our scrapbooking party."

"Well, if you want us to leave, we will." Carlos turned to leave, feigning deep disappointment.

"Nuh-uh. No, you don't!" Katheryn successfully snagged Carlos by the shirt sleeve and pulled him back. "You know you both are more than welcome. But a lady does like to look her best when she has company, ya know."

"Yeah," Carlos chuckled as he and Trent sauntered into the apartment past Katheryn. "You mean like that time a few weeks ago when we were having a picnic over at Eagle Mountain Lake?"

Trent snickered. "Yeah. You sure taught those fish a thing or two about swimming."

Katheryn shut the apartment door behind Trent and swatted him on his free arm, being sure to avoid his other arm which was held captive in a sling still. "Not funny. Besides, I can swim just fine. It was the wind that blew the basket into the lake. And something caught my foot and weighed me down in the water thank you very much. So how's the arm?" She quickly changed the subject.

Trent sighed. "Getting better. Although I'd really like to find that Barnes to be honest with you."

"Hey, maybe you should ask Butch tonight. I hear he knows a few people," Molly offered.

"Maybe I should," Trent concluded, taking a moment to observe Molly's smile closer.

By the time Kath retook her seat at the kitchen bar, Carlos and Trent were busy inspecting the girls' piles of photos. Carlos raised a few into view, smiling at the recollection of the memory before he passed along the memento to Trent and turned back to watch Katheryn return to her steady work of situating the photos just as she wanted them. Carlos admired her perfectionist side, almost wishing she could apply some of it to his messy apartment these days.

Katheryn finished gluing her next photo in place before declaring herself in need of break. She crossed to the fridge for a drink, turning briefly as she asked, "Carlos, have you spoken to Walker or Trivette lately? I was wondering how Sydney Cooke has been doing since you said she joined the Rangers."

"Yeah," Carlos nodded. "She and Ranger Francis Gage have been undercover for the past nine months to take down El Leon's operation. They should take him down for good any day now."

"Wow," Molly chimed in from her place at the bar.

Trent followed Katheryn from the kitchen, helping her distribute the drinks. "So Gage has joined the Rangers now?"

"Yup! He's been with them for a little while now." Carlos accepted a drink from Trent with a grin.

"That's great," Trent concluded before he sipped on his drink. "Gage really has the goods from what I could tell working with him briefly at Camp Justice."

"Same for Sydney," Katheryn chimed in. "I hope we'll see more of her now that they're with Company B."

"I second that," Trent resolved, letting himself amble over to where Molly was to look over her scrapbook work. She didn't seem to mind, lifting a brief smile that met Trent's as she let him look over the nearly finished page in front of her.

Carlos also enjoyed a portion of his own drink before he ambled over to Katheryn whom he found gazing happily over the kitchen sink towards the open living space and views of Dallas beyond that. He took a moment to take in the equally beautiful view beside him before telling Kath what was on his mind. "Speaking of partners, I'm having lunch with Theresa on Friday."

Katheryn perked up, turning widened eyes to Carlos. "Um, should I be worried?"

Carlos shook his head, "Nope. Not a bit. We've been meaning to do this for a while. Just to get to know each other better. We never really had the chance to do so after Captain Phillips assigned us together several months back. Too much drama got in the way."

Katheryn smiled on that last note, remembering how much she loved this man's smile. "Well, I'm glad to hear it. Partners in the force should be close. I think it's hard to truly work towards a common goal if you don't know more about your partner. I guess that's what I love so much about Walker and Trivette ever since I met them. It's not just a job for them. They are good friends who want to make the world a better place."

Katheryn was distracted by Carlos smiling over her. "What?" she replied bluntly, nearly chuckling aloud.

"Nothing," Carlos brushed it off still mesmerized once in a while by Kath's overwhelming smarts. "I was just wondering if that concept applied to…other kinds of relationships too."

Katheryn realized Carlos' meaning now and gently let her smile return. "Oh, well, of course. If not in those situations the most."

With that, they shared a brief kiss before returning to the scrapbooking area together. There they found Trent steadied over Molly's shoulder, the two of them working together on her scrapbook while clearly enjoying the moment. They were sharing smiles and having a good time…almost as if they were alone.

"Ahem," Carlos cleared his throat, causing Molly and Trent to stop suddenly and look up.

"What?" Trent questioned.

"Nothing," Carlos chuckled with a shake of his head and a glance at the floor. "Absolutely nothing whatsoever."

* * *

A gentle stream of moonlight lit the path as they carefully hid themselves in the brush. A passing car was all that separated them from their mission. As soon as the vehicle had passed by, they glanced at their watch. Just past two in the morning. It was perfect. No one was here. At least no one was awake to foil their plan. And the plan was a simple one. Wreak havoc and retreat. After all, it seemed like a simple task to do for such a great price. No witnesses and no sweat. Hey and if they got a free meal out of this little adventure, then more power to them. After all, the boss had said this place was loaded. They highly doubted if this place was filled to the gills in dough. But maybe the food was worth it. Either way, the rewards back home would fill in any disappoint with no sweating it.

Taking a step out from the darkness, they sprinted out into the moonlit street and ended their run by the veranda steps, stopping briefly to calculate their attack as if it was some life-altering military maneuver. And with seconds, they had bounded onto the porch and had tampered with the lock. It was too easy.

It only took the one-person criminal organization two minutes to topple furniture and scatter items that didn't belong to them. They didn't seem to care if the items actually could mean something to a stranger. After all, what did they care about someone who had not and would not ever see their face again? They would be reaping the rewards while the sorry owner cried over the spilled milk streaming from the perpetrator's lousy heart…as if they had one.

As they made their getaway into the night, having securely locked the center door upon their fleeing, a cloud gently slipped beneath the moon, hiding her light from being able to aid the escaping looter who had made away with a good bit of charity stock. Still, it offered a menial amount of poetical justice to the affair that they lost their footing a few times in their escape due to the lack of light. It was almost as if nature was helping to distribute justice while true justice waited silently to be uncovered.

* * *

Three of the H.O.P.E. center's most beautiful and valuable assets could not have lit up the concrete walkway leading up to the aforesaid building any more if they had tried. Their smiles and jovial exchanges seemed to become one with the sunlight that filled their eyes. There was even the most undetectable spring in the trio's step, Katheryn noticed, as she led the way up the front entrance steps onto the center's veranda.

"Hey, Kath," Molly began softly. "What do you think about that note Carlos found at that crime scene last night?"

"I don't know," Katheryn shrugged, her steps in sync with her best friend. "Hopefully they'll find the guy, and there won't be any need for me to give my opinion on a madman who dares to threaten my boyfriend."

Molly chuckled. "True. Very true. But you have to admit it's kinda creepy."

"Yeah," Kath agreed with a small shiver at the thought. "How about you? I know Trent was just trying to make us feel better last night, kidding around about his run in with BoBo Barnes."

Molly took a deep breath, nodding. "Yep. I love that man, but he could take Butch's subtle advice and calm it down every once in a while."

"What he needs," Katheryn inserted, her voice rising emphatically as she took a step ahead of Molly, "is to learn how to use a gun."

"You know how he feels about that, Kath."

"Yeah. But Carlos told me that even Walker is getting serious about having a stern talk with him. Trent's getting deeper into being a PI every day. He has to have another way to defend himself."

Molly swallowed hard as a picture of Trent in the hospital flashed in her memory. She nodded, "I definitely agree with you there."

Ambling forward a few paces, Katheryn paused briefly ahead of Molly and Donna for them to catch up with her as she searched inside her small handbag for her keys.

"I can't believe Josie had to go to San Antonio again," Donna quipped with a click of her tongue, lifting a hand to shield the sunlight as they came to a stop behind Katheryn.

Molly nodded, chiming in with a shake of her ahead. "I know. I just hope her father will be okay. He's been under the weather for quite some time. Hopefully her visiting him will help."

"I couldn't agree more," Donna agreed and then sighed, a thought having occurred to her. "I can't believe I missed so much while I was gone."

"What do you mean?" Molly grinned.

"What do I mean?" Donna echoed sarcastically. "Let's see…for starters, Walker and Alex surviving the governor's plane being shot down into Lake Ebby. How did you guys manage? I would have been devastated had I been here and heard."

Katheryn wheeled around, tossing her set of keys lightly in the air and catching them again with a broad grin. "It was tough I tell you. Carlos and I were on a date when it happened."

"Oh?" Donna replied, her smile filled with surprise then intrigue. "Do tell more."

"Well," Katheryn continued, turning back to trace the rest of the path up to the H.O.P.E. center's front door. "I remember Carlos had to talk me out of canceling the date when I heard what had happened to C.D. So he made a promise that we'd make it a shorter date than usual. Of course I didn't like that anymore than he liked saying it. So we decided to just carry on as usual. It helped to alleviate the stress and fear for sure." Katheryn chuckled, mostly to herself as she remembered the kiss they had ended the night with just shy of the restaurant entrance underneath the guise of shadowed moonlight.

Pulling herself from her reverie, Kath slipped the key into the H.O.P.E. center lock and turned it, feeling it unlock as she paused to turn around and finish her story. "We had just said goodnight when Carlos' cell phone rang. It was Trivette who was filling everybody in during his time away from the tower at the airport with the search team. Needless to say we were shocked. So I called Molly and she called Trent and etcetera. I'm pretty sure we had the whole church praying before long."

"So," Donna urged. "Did you help with the search or what?"

Katheryn sighed, visions of Trent's appeal to her vividly returning to her mind. "I wanted to. But Trent wouldn't let me."

"For a good reason though!" Molly inserted. "He said it wouldn't do us any good to get lost too. He insisted that we could help far better by staying behind."

"And as always, he was right."

The three women laughed at Katheryn's remark before the latter spun on her heel, quickly opening the door to step inside the center. No more had she taken two steps inside did her step stop just as fast. Her mouth instantly dropped open, a hand hovering over her lips as she scanned the foyer in dismay. Molly and Donna were by her side seconds later with equally-perplexed responses.

"What happened?" Molly broke the silence with a shaky voice as she stepped over a fallen end table.

It looked as if a giant elephant had stomped its way through the room without shame. Tables were scattered. Curtains torn from their rods, dangling over broken chairs. A rock had been thrown through one of the windows. Scratches on the floors shined and cradled the pieces of debris thrown here and there without cause. Papers and such littered the floor as far as the eye could see.

As the three ladies made their way into the kitchen, the devastation continued. Dozens of donations were ruined, having been strewn across the kitchen and hallway. Boxes and cans alike were either damaged or torn. Some of the food had even escaped their containers, staining the floor and dirtying the pretty cabinetry and appliances.

By this time, Katheryn was beyond surprised and was immediately angry. Straddling the mess the best she could, Katheryn charged through the hallway to the main office only to find that the devastation continued. Trent's self-defense equipment was in shambles while Alex's pile of documents, class schedules, and other various vital documents lay in a scrambled pile from one end of the room to the other. Even the desktop stapler, phone, and other office supplies were scattered, unable to be spotted by the eye at a moment's notice.

Kath was tempted to cry but was now too upset to do so. Donna and Molly gently eased up next to her, sharing the sentiment with redness in their cheeks and a fire in their eyes.

"Who could have done such a thing?" Molly questioned, almost choking back a sob.

"I don't know," Katheryn replied through clenched teeth. By her side, her fist was balled intensely. "But I am to find out and see that they realize their actions."

"You want me to call Alex?" Donna inserted hopefully.

Kath nodded. "And I'll see if Trent or Carlos is available this afternoon."

"Carlos is on duty all day," Molly reminded Katheryn and heard her best friend sigh. "Sorry."

"No, you're right," Kath agreed. "I'll call Trent then. We'll get to the bottom of this. Meanwhile, we have some cleanup to do."

* * *

 ** _To say I have looked forward to writing this story is an understatement._** ** _It has both challenged me as a writer and continuously satisfied my imagination which is full of exciting milestones for the future. I am no doubt looking forward to sharing the future of the "Legacy of Thunder" series with you all. It's going to be one wild, incredible ride. Stay quick as Texas lighting! God Bless, 'Kath'_**


	2. Chapter 2

.

* * *

 **BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE**

 **Chapter Two**

* * *

Most of this particular Tuesday seemed to pass by slower than usual. The lunch hour dragged on despite the fact that it was a beautiful day and the meal of C.D.'s chili in the center's fridge was delicious. Little did the would-be thief know what treasure he had left behind in the wake of his hurried departure. Katheryn could only smile at the thought, realizing the small blessing in disguise it had been although if she could get her hands on the culprit, she swore she wouldn't kill them. But she'd concluded they probably never want to see her face again. And that was alright by Katheryn. For the feeling was definitely mutual.

Three trash bags filled with debris lined the foyer where the entry table had once stood. Another two were deposited at the foot of the stairs by Molly and Katheryn as they paused to take a break from all the cleanup, wiping their sweaty foreheads with tissues as two curious pairs of eyes watched them from the top of the stairs. They were new children to the center, having spent several afternoons in their care while their mother was away establishing herself at her new job thanks to Katheryn with Alex's helpful guidance. Katheryn was easily becoming Alex's right hand more and more these days. It seemed as if she hardly ever had a moment to spare for a proper evening alone with Carlos or even just her best friend in their own apartment what with helping alongside Trent in his protection agency and working alongside Alex at the center as she had done since first moving to Dallas last year.

"It's been a year," Katheryn exhaled, drawing Molly's gaze as she shooed the little ones away playfully.

"What?"

"I've been in Dallas for an entire year already," Katheryn supplemented with a reflective sigh as she managed to steal a glimpse of the outside yard of the center through the glass windows surrounding the entrance. "I remember walking up that lane like it was yesterday. Man, time just flew by. But it seems like it's just beginning at the same time."

"I know how you feel. I have a feeling none of us will be going anywhere any time soon."

"You better believe it," Katheryn exclaimed, a laugh escaping her before she returned to her reflective thoughts and drifting gaze, folding her hands in front of her face with her elbows propped on her knees. "Still, I wish I knew exactly what my role was."

"Are you kidding me?" Molly scoffed, thinking over everything Katheryn had accomplished in the past year.

"I know what you're thinking," Kath shook her head. "I just wish I could put more time in here. And…I know the other day you were just poking fun about Carlos proposing. But if he ever did, I have so much on my plate right now that I don't know if I could be the kind of wife I'd want to be."

"Nonsense. You would make any man happy no matter what you did. But—what are you saying exactly?" Molly asked, curiosity prompting her to fill in the blanks Katheryn had subtly drawn with her words.

"I'm not sure. But I think the answers will come in good time." With that, Katheryn stood to her feet, turning with a smile to offer Molly a hand up. "What do you say we get back to work?"

"That's fine by me!"

"Somebody call for reinforcements?"

Katheryn and Molly wheeled around towards the voice that mingled with the gentle outdoor noises as the door to the center opened, revealing Ranger Roberta Hunt and behind her Officer Dana Reno.

"Bobbie!" Katheryn exclaimed, giving the ranger a hug. "Thank you so much for coming. Is Alex coming?"

Bobbie shook her head. "I don't think so. In fact, that's why Ranger Walker sent me over. I can't say too much about it, but something major has come up."

"Oh?" Katheryn queried.

"The governor's top policy advisor paid a visit to Company B this morning with a tape from some ruthless goons saying that several folks had been badly infected yesterday. The governor's advisor was pretty adamant that Walker and Trivette handle this case."

"Infected?" Molly questioned with a crease of her brow. "Infected with what?"

Bobbie gave the area a cautious glance over before she cleared her throat and lowered her voice, easing closer to the girls. "Anthrax."

"Oh my God," Molly gasped softly.

"C.D. was one of the men effected," Ranger Hunt continued. "He's being treated at the hospital as we speak. They caught it in time thank goodness."

"Thank God," Katheryn breathed, her mind racing with scenarios that she dispelled silently one by one.

Ranger Hunt stepped aside and let her uniformed guest step up next to her. "Katheryn. Molly. I'd like you to meet Officer Dana Reno."

"Reno…" Katheryn's thoughts wandered as she shook the woman's hand. The name sounded familiar to her for some reason. "Logan Reno's daughter?"

Dana nodded as she moved to shake Molly's hand also. "The one and the same."

"He was a legend in the Rangers," Kath complemented.

"That he was," Dana replied before she began touring the center with Bobbie, Katheryn and Molly not far behind them as they examined each room.

"Wow," Bobbie exclaimed, scoffing as she picked up a torn book from the one table Katheryn had managed to salvage. "They really did a number on this place."

"Yup!" Kath nodded, heat radiating in her cheeks. "I tell you, Bobbie. I sure don't feel responsible for what I do if I can ever get my hands on the culprit."

Bobbie chuckled, nodding in agreement. "This place means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

"Yep," Katheryn echoed, almost seeing memories more than damage as she surveyed the rooms once again. "It sure does."

At the sound of the door opening yet again, all of the women turned around and paced back to see what the commotion was about this time.

"Calvary's here!"

Trent was the first to slip inside and shine some light on the gloomy affair with his broad smile. He swiftly stepped aside, allowing Tommy to squeeze inside, carrying what appeared to be an armload of cleaning supplies.

"Incoming!" Tommy warned as he wedged through the ladies to dispense the materials onto the only surviving table in the room. He took a deep breath as he recovered from the short and supposedly tiring journey. "That was load!"

Adam Jones then stomped inside, carrying a square fold-up card table all in his own. He heaved as he made it inside safely, depositing the item next to the stairs with a glare across the room to his best friend. "Yeah. It was a load alright. I could use your help with the folding chairs. Or is that too much for you?"

Tommy guffawed, crossing the room as if he hadn't said a cross word. He slapped Adam on the back and replied as they left the building, "You know I'm just joshing you."

"You better," they heard Adam return staunchly as they faded into the outdoors.

Trent turned to the ladies, pointing at the table. "Alex called and said something about furniture damage. I've had a folding table and some chairs collecting dust in the back of the dojo for at least a month or two and thought it might serve more use here."

"Thanks, Trent," Katheryn replied, looking over the table. "Hey, Molly, why don't we put it in the office for now? We can figure out where it would be best used from there."

"Good idea," Molly agreed and ambled over to pick up one end of the table.

Katheryn had almost lifted her end when the phone rang from across the room. She exhaled gruffly and let her end drop gently onto the floor, racing over across the hall to the kitchen to catch the telephone on the third ring. "You've reached the H.O.P.E. center of Dallas. This is Katheryn speaking."

"Hi, there darling. It's C.D. here."

Katheryn smiled at the recognition of the grandfatherly voice. "Oh, hey, C.D. First of all, you better have a good reason for calling when you should be resting. I just heard about what happened."

"Figures," C.D. coughed. "I'm alright. In fact, I think I'll just go loony in this place sitting here with nothing to do."

"You'll be fine," Katheryn smiled, "if you do what the doctors tell you to do."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. You know it'd make me feel a heap better if you could do me a favor."

"Name it."

"Well, I was just sitting here realizing that my bar won't have anyone to run it tonight. I was supposed to be there, and my two best employees just called in with emergencies they had to tend to at the last minute. I know my girls can handle it. But they should be waitressing not tending the counter and minding all my regulars. It would just be tonight. I got someone who can take care of things tomorrow. You're just so good with people, and I know they'd like to see your smiling face from across the bar."

Katheryn gave her immediate surroundings a brief glance and cringed, thankful that C.D. could not see her. Quietly, Trent appeared in the entrance of the kitchen next to her, clearly asking what the matter was without having to say a word.

"Um," Katheryn began, her loyalties clearly wavering by the looks of the longing in her eyes. As much as she wanted to help, she wanted to stay and continue with the cleanup and repairs. "I'd love to help, C.D. I just don't know if I'll be able to."

"I understand, honey," C.D. replied forlornly. "I understand."

"What is it?" Trent whispered, gently setting a hand to Kath's arm.

Katheryn tucked the phone against her shoulder and whispered her reply. "C.D. needs someone to run the bar tonight. I want to help, but…" She let her gaze drift over the mess still around them, turning back to look into Trent's eyes as if the longing notion said more than her words ever could.

Understanding, Trent nodded. "Go ahead. Tommy and I will stay here. Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?"

Trent glared at her.

"Alright," Katheryn gave in and returned the phone to her ear. "Um, actually I think I was wrong, C.D. My schedule is free tonight. I'd be glad to run the bar for you."

"Are you sure it's no imposition?"

"Not at all," Katheryn beamed a smile towards Trent and lip-synced an "I owe you one" before she ended her call with C.D. and followed Trent back to where the others still were.

"Who was that on the phone?" Molly was the first to ask.

"That was C.D.," Kath replied, slipping her hands in her jeans' pockets as she lightly rocked on her heels. "And apparently I'm on duty at the bar and grill tonight since C.D. is under the weather."

"Oh, well does that mean free food and drinks for anyone who comes with you?" Bobbie teased.

Katheryn laughed. "I'm sure we could work something out."

"I'm just teasing," Bobbie reassured with a shake of her head. "Besides, I think I should start investigating this little break-in matter a bit more closely."

"Thanks, Bobbie," Katheryn offered through a tight-lipped smile just before Tommy and Adam returned with six folding chairs and made plenty of noise to herald their entrance.

Contrary to traditional mathematical proportions, Tommy was carrying two chairs while Adam was carrying four.

As soon as they had deposited their load, Adam pointed his finger straight in Tommy's face and glared, "You owe me one big time!"

"Okay, alright!" Tommy lifted his hands in surrender. "Geez."

Meanwhile, the rest of those present were busy quelling their laughter, trying their best not to make the two teens feel any more embarrassed than their deadpan expressions already had.

* * *

Thumbing through the thin stack of files in front of her on her desk, Alex let out a raspy sigh before she forced herself to her feet, her weight feeling heavier than usually as she paced slowly to her office's window, looking over the busy street absentmindedly. Suddenly the urgency of the imminent disaster was gone and had been replaced by a dose of fear. Sure, she would do everything within her power to nail those responsible for causing such an unwarranted chaos to threaten an entire city. But there was that small chance…just a very small, insignificant chance that they would not find the source of the anthrax in time. Even if they had the criminals behind bars now, they would never talk. They would never reveal the location of the intended blast, leaving them all to wonder just what the near future could hold for the city of Dallas.

Shutting her eyes tightly against the noisy street, Alex took a deep breath, almost savoring the unusual quiet of her office for as long as she could. Having been selected as the liaison between Walker's task force and the governor's office, she would most likely be very busy in the hours to come.

With this in mind, Alex opened her eyes and returned to her desk, settling onto the edge of her seat and reaching for her telephone. She dialed the H.O.P.E. center number and waited impatiently in the silence.

"Hello?" Katheryn's voice alerted Alex.

"Katheryn," Alex began, taking a deep breath. "How are the repairs coming?"

"They are coming along great." Alex could sense Katheryn's joy and didn't want to dash her hopes, she thought as she listened. "Trent called someone he knows and got us a new window for the front room. He's installing it now. Well, Tommy is helping. I guess you'd call it helping," Katheryn chuckled.

Alex nearly smiled until she remembered her reason and purpose for calling and stifled the notion temporarily. "Kath, I called to let you know I won't be able to help with the cleanup. I'm going to be busy for at least the next twenty-four hours."

"Oh? What's up?"

"You remember the anthrax C.D. and the others were infected with?"

Katheryn responded affirmatively, still somewhat unsure where the conversation was going.

"Well," Alex exhaled, "we received a second tape from the men responsible for the attack. That was obviously just a warning. They have placed another portion of anthrax with an explosive device to be detonated in less than forty-eight hours somewhere in Dallas."

Katheryn glanced behind her at the jovial carryings on around her and frowned, turning back and lowering her voice. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know," Alex admitted, caution in her voice as she glanced over the files on her desk of the five criminals the culprits were demanding be released. Or they would detonate the poison all across the city. But of course there was no guarantee they wouldn't distribute the vicious substance no matter what the authorities did or did not do. "I'm acting as liaison between the Rangers' task force and the governor's office. So, with Josie away, I am putting you in charge at the H.O.P.E. center, Kath. This thing could get worse. You may have to evacuate the facility by yourself. Do you think you can handle it?"

Silence fell between on the line as Katheryn again looked down the hall to see Trent and Tommy giving each other a playful hard time. She saw Adam helping Molly do some final polishing of the wooden staircase while Officer Reno helped Bobbie continue their investigation. So far, they had not come up with much credible evidence to support the possibility of discovering a suspect. Whoever had committed the crime new exactly what they were doing and didn't leave much for the victims to go by in order to seek justice.

Turning back to the phone in her hand, Katheryn nodded and replied softly, "I can do it. Don't worry about a thing, Alex. You just do what you have to do."

Alex took up the files from her desk in her hand, standing to her feet. Katheryn was right. She had information to deliver to Walker that would help bring them closer to a solution. "Thanks. Stay safe, Kath. God only knows what the next few days are going to be like. I need to get some files on these criminals to Walker right away."

"Will do. Thanks." Katheryn ended the phone call and hung up, stalling for a few seconds by the telephone to steal another glance at the people she easily called family. Alex's words then echoed in her mind… _This thing could get worse. You may have to evacuate…evacuate…evacuate…_ Evacuate? To where? How? Would they get out of there in time? What about the center itself? Would they leave and never come back? No, that was ridiculous. Of course they'd all come back. But would there be anything to come back to?

Katheryn shook off the reverie, squinting as she willed away the tiny dose of fear that tried welling up inside of her. She had always handled things along with Alex or Josie. She had not undertaken anything of this scale by herself. Yet somewhere inside of her, she liked the idea of taking the lead. Having to step up to the plate and help people, as she had always wanted to do, but on an entirely different playing field. The stakes would be the highest they had ever been. And the center's safety was left in her hands.

With newfound confidence, Katheryn raised her head higher and took a deep breath. Alex trusted her to lead the center on her own. If Alex had faith in her, she could have the faith in herself necessary to see this thing through to the end.


	3. Chapter 3

**.**

* * *

 **BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE**

 **Chapter Three**

* * *

With rookie Rangers Gage and Cooke now on the task force of the Company B Rangers and the time continuing to tick away by the second, it seemed only a matter of time before the phone at the H.O.P.E. center rang off of the wall again with Alex or Walker letting them know that the worse was going to happen. But Katheryn tried to put all of this out of her mind and focus on getting the place back into shape. It seemed almost ironic that they were getting the H.O.P.E. center back into operation when it might all be for nothing. They would have to leave it all and hope it would still be there when they returned. Despite all of her concerns, Kath managed to reveal very little to the others regarding what Alex had told her. She did mention it to Trent though, making him promise not to worry the others. If the worse was to happen, she wanted everything as normal as possible before they had to address the situation.

Most of those gathered there including Trent, Molly, and Officer Reno now that she had the day off were surrounding the newly-installed window in the front room of the center, clapping for a moment to enjoy their good fortune of reaching a milestone in the recovery process.

Katheryn looked at the window and smiled, stepping up closer to it to feel the sunlight against her arm as she ran her index finger along the edge. "It's beautiful. You know, we should look at the bright side." She wheeled around to face the others. "Look at this way. The thief helped us to replace the window so the place would look even better than before. So thank you, criminal, for helping us spruce up the place."

Molly laughed, "They could have given us fair warning though."

"Molly," Trent chuckled. "He's a thief. Like he would let anyone know what he's up to. Besides, he should have simply left a note of explanation that's all."

"Okay, you both are ridiculous," Katheryn rolled her eyes, grinning broadly at the lovebirds' exchange as she strode away from the window.

Kath was nearly half way across the room, when the sound of glass shattering all around them pierced her eardrums. Molly gasped and Trent immediately shielded her, bringing them both to the floor as the new window fell into a thousand subsequent little pieces followed by an object of some kind. As Katheryn slowly relaxed from her crouched position on the floor and sat up in the aftermath to look around her, she could hear the screeching of tires against the street outside and the bounding of shoes against the veranda as Tommy and Adam rushed into the center from the outside, the door opening with a force. Tommy quickly rushed over to help Trent and Molly while Adam offered Katheryn a hand up.

"Are you guys okay?" Adam asked and noticed a brick lying on the floor. As soon as he had helped Katheryn to her feet, he retrieved the brick and gave it to Trent who was back on his feet by now also.

Tommy ensured Molly was alright as Katheryn joined her before he eased over to Trent and offered, "We got the license plate number if you're interested."

"Nice work, little brother," Trent smiled and turned to Kath. "Tell Kath. She can let Ranger Hunt know."

"Sure thing." Tommy immediately told Katheryn the number and watched her leave the room in earnest in route for the telephone before he glanced over the pile of glass on the floor, stepping cautiously over a few pieces as he sighed rather sharply. "Well, I guess we'll be here a bit longer than planned."

"Yeah," Trent exhaled, his eyes narrowed out of a dose of anger that welled in him as he heard the light crunch of the glass beneath Tommy's shoes. "I can't believe someone would dare do something like this. And in the middle of the day at that!"

Molly gently laid her hand on Trent's arm and watched as Tommy and Adam started cleaning the mess up. "I'm sure with the license plate number, they'll have the thief locked up in no time."

Trent nodded, softly rubbing Molly's hand on his arm. "Yup. With multiple charges to his name instead of a few." He smiled over at Molly. "What do you say we help the boys out?"

Molly smiled as her answer to the affirmative and stated she would return with an extra broom to do that very thing.

* * *

Katheryn skipped a step as she landed on the final step leading up to the courthouse with only one purpose in mind, opening the door to feel a brush of cool wind against her face as she briskly scaled the staircase leading to the floor that Ranger Headquarters was on. As soon as she arrived on the familiar floor, Kath wasted no time to peruse the halls she was well-acquainted with. Instead, there was earnest in her step and focus in her eyes.

She had been steadily depositing the last remains of the shattered glass window from the center in the dumpster when she had heard Molly's voice from the back door calling her back in to answer the telephone. It was Bobbie, she had heard Molly say and quickly hurried back inside. Bobbie mentioned a few trifling things about the possibility of having found their culprit when she told Katheryn to meet her at Ranger Headquarters. It was there that she would tell her the rest. She would be waiting in a separate conference room, Bobbie had said. With the task force abuzz with tracking down the source of the anthrax, the conference room was far quieter for them to deduce this case.

Kath made the sharp left turn towards the conference room, placing her hand on the door and pushing it wide open without even a pause in her step until she met Ranger Hunt on the far side of the room at the head of the sunlit table.

"What do you got?" Katheryn didn't miss a beat, surveying the items Bobbie had laid out on the table.

"To be honest, I was afraid this would come up," Bobbie sighed, lightly tossing a file down.

"What's that?"

"Well, your getaway car belongs to Andy Silvero."

"Then what's the problem? We've got our man, don't we?"

Bobbie nodded, handing Katheryn another file. "But you'll never believe who he's related to."

Katheryn tried to read Bobbie's expression with her own narrowed eyes below furrowed brows but failed in doing do. Instead she accepted the file from Bobbie and opened it up to read, _Wade Mahoney_. Andy was his nephew, it appeared, as Bobbie explained.

"You've got to be kidding me," Katheryn exclaimed, immediately arrested by the images of her former capturer. She swallowed hard as she remembered his obvious advances toward her and the fear she had fought tirelessly before Carlos and the Rangers had arrived in time. Thankfully she had been rescued before the worse could have happened.

Shaking off her reverie, Kath smiled, almost convincingly. "So he still has his goons out there. Or he's been let out of prison for some stupid reason."

Bobbie agreed with a shake of her head. "Apparently. I've already checked. He's still safe behind bars."

"Good," Katheryn let out a sigh of relief.

"I have a feeling Andy Silvero is acting alone though. Maybe revenge against those who put his uncle away. According to our records, his worse offense is a DUI a little over a year ago. Thankfully he hasn't yet stooped so low as to do the things his uncle's done."

"Thank God."

"But," Bobbie sighed, "I have a feeling these attacks could be just the beginning if he isn't stopped."

"Very true."

Bobbie tapped the corner of piece of paper on the table with the tip of her finger and cocked her head mischievously toward Katheryn. "We've got an address. What do you say we pay Andy a little visit?"

"Sounds good to me."

The two ladies were halfway across the hall, passing by the Company B office when two Rangers were leaving the aforesaid office. Katheryn immediately recognized the female ranger to be former officer Sydney Cooke. As Katheryn quickly surveyed the young woman out of uniforme, she quickly took note at how much the Ranger star complimented her.

"Katheryn?" Sydney was the first to speak though, beaming a smile as she beat Kath to the punch. But she had not beaten her by much, the two mutually wrapping their arms around each other.

"Carlos told me you had joined the Rangers," Katheryn explained as they pulled away. "Is this your handsome partner?"

Sydney nodded, quelling a laugh. "Yes, it is. Katheryn Beaumont, this is Francis Gage. Gage, this is Katheryn."

Gage reached out a hand to shake Katheryn's. "It's nice to meet you, Katheryn. Please, call me Gage."

Katheryn shook Gage's hand, smiling. "It's wonderful to meet you, Gage."

"So what brings you by Ranger Headquarters, Katheryn?" Gage asked curiously, running a steady finger alongside the edges of the files in his hand.

"Bobbie is helping me investigate a recent attack on the H.O.P.E. center. It was looted overnight, and we just had a rock thrown through the brand new window today."

"Wow," Sydney replied, her eyes widening. "Seems like a low blow."

"You're telling me!" Katheryn sighed. "Thankfully we got a possible suspect and an address to match. When I get my hands on the culprit, they're liable to quickly regret what they did."

Sydney grinned. "You just be careful out there. I know Trent Malloy taught you and all. But there are some ugly characters out there."

"That's for sure," Katheryn agreed, raising her eyebrows as she remembered a few close calls she had shared with the others over the past year. She exhaled, "So what does Walker have you two doing?"

Gage cleared his throat, glancing over the files he still carried in his hand. "Well, we were just headed to do background checks on these five men." Gage lifted the files into view, lowering his voice. "Seems this could be the ticket to getting those goons not to set off that explosive."

"Yeah," Katheryn shook her head. "Alex told me we're dealing with a fairly bad situation here."

"Although I highly doubt they're men of their word," Sydney inserted emphatically, nodding before cracking a small smile mostly in an effort to cheer up her comrades. "So, Katheryn. Are you and Carlos still seeing each other?" She could barely see Gage roll his eyes from beside her and silently elbowed him in the ribs.

Katheryn cracked a broader smile in return. "Yes, we are. Nine months strong. And I'm not letting him go any time soon."

Sydney chuckled. "That's good to hear." She gently laid a hand on Kath's arm. "We'll have to plan to get together soon at C.D.'s. But for now we've got to run."

"Yes, you do," Katheryn agreed. She reached in her pocket and pulled out a business card. It was a brand new issue they were sampling for the center before everything had happened. With a miniature pen from the same pocket, Kath scribbled her apartment address and phone number on the back of the card and handed it to Sydney. "Stay in touch."

Sydney accepted the card with a smile and gave Kath one last hug. "Will do. You two stay safe out there."

"Don't worry about a thing," Katheryn assured the two Rangers, wheeling around back towards the elevator alongside Ranger Hunt as they started in route for their suspect at hand.

* * *

The drive to the suspect's residence was not long. In fact, as the ten minute drive came to a close, Katheryn estimated them to be merely blocks away from the H.O.P.E. center. The irony seemed to be evident. That the perpetrator of the crime would live so close to the scene of the crime. Then again, had he chosen to strike and leave? They would find out soon enough, Katheryn concluded to herself silently, watching as several houses passed them by. Glancing down at the address written on the sheet of paper in her hand, Kath pointed to an upcoming single-story bungalow nestled among several others similar to it. By the looks of the outside, she estimated it to be at least forty years old and in want of repairs. It was definitely not the kind of home she imagined Wade Mahoney's relatives would live in. Of course, a wealthy man in his line of criminal activity would have his share of greed to go along with his gain. Katheryn also remembered Andy Silvero was not yet a dangerous criminal, having not yet committed the crimes of his uncle. That is, he hadn't until now. Perhaps he didn't have a desire to stay away from the criminal life after all, as she had hoped. And it didn't seem that spark of hope meant so much to Katheryn now as she remembered her anger from the last two days. She pictured that shattering window and the splintering sound it had made, sending her to the floor.

Katheryn blinked away the reverie in time as Bobbie turned off the car's engine and opened her door. Kath did likewise, stepping out onto the concrete driveway and peering over the top of the car at the house briefly. She noticed the curtain swiftly fall back into the place over one of the windows and wondered what that was all about before she joined Bobbie to walk the path up to the home.

Bobbie took the lead, opening the screen door and placing three cordial knocks on the main door. She glanced at Katheryn warily before she knocked again and called out, "Texas Ranger. Please open up."

Katheryn let herself glance over the porch, whispering, "We wouldn't want to kick the door down. That's for sure."

Smiling, Bobbie reached up to knock on the door again but was stopped as the door flew open. A woman in her late twenties, Kath had guessed, glared at them disdainfully as if they had no right to interrupt whatever she had been doing at the time. Furthermore, she was scantily dressed and was in desperate need of a comb.

"What do you want?!" The young woman spouted rudely.

Bobbie scoffed. "We just want to speak with Andy Silvero. Does he live here?"

"Yeah," the girl quipped. "Why wouldn't he?"

Katheryn suppressed her urge to return the girl's sarcasm with something equally sarcastic of her own and instead stepped up closer to Bobbie and tried peeking inside the home. "Are you living here too?"

"Hardly!"

Kath smiled. "I see. Well, if you could tell us where Andy is then we'll speak to him and be on our way. You see, he is suspected of robbing a non-profit center, breaking and entering, and possibly arson. So if you wouldn't mind, we'd really like to speak with him and clear this thing up." Katheryn then proceeded to glare at the woman, her eyes widened and her lips clasped tightly together in the very threatening fashion Katheryn wanted to convey on purpose.

Amidst the deafening, deadpan silence that followed, filled in with nothing more than bird songs and windy whispers, Bobbie jerked her head to the left at the sound of a door slamming afar off.

"This way!" Bobbie yelled over her shoulder having already sprung into pursuit of their escaping suspect.

Katheryn rushed around to the other side of the house, bounding from the porch and breaking into an arm-pumping sprint towards the runaway. By the time she caught up with him, he was climbing a fence right over into the next neighborhood behind them. Katheryn forcefully pulled him back down by his shirt, causing him to tumble as he fought against her grasp. She then planted her feet firmly, her guard raised as she prepared for him to recover and retaliate. He swung his fist at her first, Katheryn dodging the blow by leaning back and dipping to the right before she struck him in the abdomen with her own fist. Andy doubled over some before he raised back up and tried lifting a kick across her face. Successfully landing his blow quite arrogantly, Katheryn stumbled back, the pain stinging at her face. But fighting the sensation, Katheryn rebounded and spun into her own roundhouse kick to his face. It took another one just like it to finally bring him down, his rather lanky but physically robust frame tumbling to the ground to finally end the struggle.

Bobbie, clearly out of breath, stalled to a stop with a hand on Katheryn's shoulder. "Are you okay?" she asked, noticing Kath's somewhat flushed face.

Katheryn lifted her hand, dabbing away a spot of blood from the corner of her mouth. "Yeah. I'm alright." She exhaled sharply although the pain still continued to ease. Kath then jerked Andy up by the collar, Bobbie quickly cuffing him from behind and taking the lead of arresting him and reading him his rights.

As Katheryn followed Bobbie back to the sedan in the driveway, Kath still couldn't shake the fears she had successfully managed to suppress thus far. With a glance at the radiant, cloud-dotted sky above, Kath wondered if those same pretty skies would be filled with the sights and sounds of chaos within the next twenty-four hours. She knew these thoughts were senseless. She had every bit of faith in Ranger Walker and the task force to come through. She had no reason to believe otherwise. But something still lingered within that inveigled her. A measure of dread played with her emotions. But maybe instead she was detecting something else entirely. Deep down she hoped it was for the good. But either way, Katheryn reflected as she got into the passenger side of the car, she knew what would be coming would change their lives in a monumental way.


	4. Chapter 4

**.**

* * *

 **BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE**

 **Chapter Four**

* * *

"Why did you do it, Andy?" Ranger Hunt glared over the table at a shy young man not more than twenty-four years old, her fists planted on the table as she bent forward, glaring him in the eyes. It was almost ironic that a criminal so intent about running away would have been so shy once captured. Perhaps he had more experience in force than facing his troubles.

"My uncle put me up to it," Andy replied lamely, his eyes scanning over the table and avoiding Bobbie at all cost.

"Oh," Bobbie scoffed as she lifted off of the table and paced across the room and gave a brief glance to the mirrored one-way window. "So you're going to blame this on your big bad uncle, huh?"

Andy was even more silent now it seemed. With his head hung in shame, his eyes darted from side to side. Bobbie even could see his palms sweating as he wrung his hands on the table.

"Come on, Andy," Bobbie begged, returning to the frightened young man and slamming her hand palm-down on the table. "You're not making this any easier on yourself."

"I had to!" Andy suddenly shouted in Bobbie's face. "I had to!"

"What do you mean?"

"My uncle. He threatened me. He said if I didn't start doing stuff for him, he'd kill me. Or have me killed."

"Did you ever think of letting the authorities known first?" Bobbie retorted.

Andy shook his head. "I—I was scared."

"You know," Bobbie chuckled and paced the room again. "I find it really hard to believe that you are telling me the truth, Andy. No man in his right mind who is as scared as you are would have destroyed a non-profit center and executed a drive-by window crashing party. Now, your car was used in this little operation, Andy. If you didn't do it, then who did?"

"I did!" Andy cried. "I did it! Now would you just put me away and leave me be?" He then buried his head in his hands and sobbed.

Bobbie drew away from the distraught young man with a face drained of emotion and shook her head towards the mirror. Lifting a hand, the door buzzed unlocked and she exited the room, quickly opening the adjacent room's door and entering where Katheryn had been standing and watching the whole scene unfold.

Kath sighed sharply as she saw Bobbie enter. "I can't believe that's the same guy I fought this afternoon."

"Yeah, me neither," Bobbie admitted. "But he confessed."

"And you believe him?"

"We have no reason not to. All the evidence points to him. His car and…wait a minute."

"What?"

"His girlfriend," Bobbie smirked, almost laughing. "That deceiving little…I thought I recognized her," the ranger threw over her shoulder as she darted out of the room and across the hall, not leaving Katheryn much time to catch up.

But Katheryn did manage to catch up just in time as Bobbie rounded the corner and entered the Company B office. She stalled at her desk to the right and sat down to type something into her computer.

"I knew it," Bobbie quipped, letting the weight of her body settle onto the back of the chair with a rather resolute thud. She nearly scoffed as she gave Kath a knowing look.

"What?" Kath asked anxiously from across the desk. Slowly she eased around to view Bobbie's computer.

"Andy's girlfriend is one of Wade Mahoney's best customers."

"How do you know?"

"Well, I thought I recognized her. Her name's Jill Ansley. You see, a week before you and Carlos went undercover as a married couple to take Mahoney down for good, I was in on a bust of one of his drug ring warehouses." Bobbie paused to point at her computer. "She was one of the cooks. We booked her, but she made bail a few days later. Obviously Mahoney kept her safe from criminal activity because she was not arrested again. After you guys caught Mahoney, she must have hid deeper. She took on some aliases according to a few street reports from some of our snitches."

"Wow," Katheryn asserted, scanning over the several aliases on the computer screen. She also read some of the woman's credits to her name such as meth cook, dancer, fighter, locksmith, and prostitute. "Jack of all trades. Or should I say Jill?"

Bobbie cracked a dry laugh and smiled. "Either way we need some proof that she committed the crime and pinned it on Andy."

"You're pretty sure that's the case?"

Bobbie nodded. "Yeah. Andy didn't do it. The only reason he ran is he thought his uncle was after him. I'm pretty sure of that."

With a soft touch of her finger against her cheek, Katheryn sighed, "He sure can throw a mean kick though."

Bobbie shook her head, a sharp sigh escaping her. "His girlfriend is probably in Mexico by now. With us taking Andy in, she probably thought she was off scot free and ran for it."

"No," Katheryn inserted with a shake of her head. "That doesn't make sense. Wouldn't she stick around to ensure Andy wouldn't talk?"

"Oh, I'm sure she threatened him good."

"Well, what do you think we should do about it?"

Both ladies lifted their steadied gazes to the door as it swung open, Dana Reno entering and stopping at the first sight of familiar faces.

"Hey, guys." Dana's greeting was cautious. Her smile was distant as she explained further, "I heard about a scuffle with your suspect and thought I'd come check on y'all. Do you need any help?"

With a sly grin, Bobbie replied, "Yes, I think we can definitely use your help."

* * *

Ranger Hunt carefully maneuvered herself into the back of the random "laundry truck" with a cautious glance across the street at the bar they were set to put on a show in that was supposedly a common hangout for Ansley. Settling herself on the seat next to Katheryn, Bobbie and she both took turns noticing how nervous Andy Silvero was as he was being wired by Officer Reno.

Kath set her hand on Andy's knee, causing him to jerk towards her. He took a deep breath and rolled his eyes. "It will be okay," Katheryn assured the man. But it didn't do much good as he wiped the sweat off of his brow and shook uncontrollably as he listened to Dana explain the plan over again for at least the tenth time.

After another minute of waiting, Andy declared, "Can we just get this over with?! If my uncle doesn't kill me, the stress of this will!"

Dana smiled and slipped her arm through Andy's. "Anything for you, honey." She batted her eyelids flirtatiously and threw her hair back with a broad smile.

"You know," Andy quipped. "If I wasn't tied up in such a mess like this, I'd almost ask you out for real."

Bobbie rolled her eyes and gave the door a nod to signal that it was time. "Good luck, guys."

"Thanks," Dana sighed. "We'll need it."

With her arm tucked gently through Andy Silvero's, Dana crossed the street cautiously, her every glance shifting from one area to another as to keep herself aware of her surroundings every second of this little mission. And the mission was a simple one. Go in, make a show, and come out. It seemed simple enough. All she had to do was act flirtatiously with her "new boyfriend." Hopefully someone would take notice. Hopefully that someone would be Jill Ansley or a close friend of hers.

Dana could feel the wind cutting into her bare knees, causing herself to subconsciously look over her rather promiscuous clothing. She had not done much undercover work since becoming an officer. Yet she knew she would have to get used to it if she ever hoped to get promoted. Truth be told, she loved the work. But shifting out of her comfort zone was something she had only recently reached to attain beyond regulatory drug busts and habitual arrests. So silently she was thankful that Ranger Hunt had insisted she take this role. Somehow she knew it would look significantly perfect on her growing resume. That is…if she made it out of this one in one piece.

Doubt began to cloud her thoughts as she looked up to see two drunk men stumbling out of the tavern, nearly overtaking her and Andy to the ground. Andy managed to catch her as she stumbled back, the two of them dodging the hysteretic display as they curved to the left and slipped inside the bar before the door shut on them both. Dana could already sense Andy's tension rising. There were a few more beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Apparently this wasn't the first time he had been in a place like this. Or rather it was the first time he had entered this establishment in the face of apparent death.

"Get yourself together," Dana admonished, leaning into the frightened young man as she kept her eyes on the crowds while they took a few steps forward. "Oscar performance, my friend. Our life depends on it."

"Y—yeah. I gotcha," Andy stuttered. But it didn't comfort Dana any to hear the shaking in his voice added to the trembling hand she could feel next to her own body.

Coming up to the bar, Dana slapped the counter with her free hand and let a wild flirtatious smile lead right into her role. "Two long necks, darling."

"Coming right up," the barkeep replied with no more than a sour expression mixed with subtle curiosity.

Without being too obvious, Dana noticed the barkeep give someone on the other end of the bar a nod before he reached below the counter to fulfill their beer order. As he did so, Dana smiled, "Thank ya, good looking."

"Hey!" Andy quipped. "Who you calling good looking? Wasn't all that loving you got last night enough to make you mine?! What are you doing giving that tub o' lard the time of day?"

Dana had to commend Andy on his acting efforts; but she was having a difficult time quelling the blushing from her face. So she decided to harness the nervous tension to her advantage, turning to Andy with anger in her eyes. "How dare you tell me what to do, Andy Silvero! I am a grown woman, and I'll love up to whoever I please! And no one will tell me otherwise!" Dana prayed this was all worth the embarrassment as she calmed down, plopped down on the barstool, and took a swig of the beer before her.

"Fine! Have it your way!" With that, Andy stormed out of the tavern and into the street, sheltering himself in the designated hiding place across the street by the gas station's payphone with a whisper into his wire that it was all clear.

Katheryn was out of the far away laundry truck and into her Corvette, speeding into the parking lot five minutes later to pick up her "wayward friend" and escape.

Meanwhile, Dana was half way through her beer, teetering on the edge of disappointment and annoyance when a tall man dressed in a polo and jeans, donning a Cowboys ball cap stalled to a stop by her, planting a five dollar bill on the counter to get her attention.

"Next round's on me," he smiled.

Dana looked up into his face, not recognizing him but hoping this meant her time spent alone in such a place was beginning to pay off. She quickly assumed her role again and flashed a smile. "And to what do I owe the pleasure?"

The man took it upon himself to make himself at home by Dana on the next barstool, reaching a hand to softly caress hers. With Dana staring him sternly in the eyes, he explained, "I noticed you were having a bit of trouble with your boyfriend there."

"Yeah? What's it to you?"

"Well, I happen to know that Andy Silvero is a highly revered name in certain circles."

"Revered?!" Dana scoffed and turned away to slug away at her beer. "That scrawny thing ain't worth nothing."

"Oh but he is," the stranger insisted. "And…if you feel the way you do, I can insure he never bothers you again."

Dana was beginning to feel better about the progress of the discussion and let the man caress her hand some more although inwardly, she could feel her skin crawling. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Come with me," the man proceeded to stroke Dana's cheek sensuously, "and I'll tell you all about it."

Dana waited a few seconds, smiling to draw the man into focus before she stood swiftly, driving her knee into his stomach and her fist across his face. She then circled him into a grip with his arm twisted downward into her control. Looking down into his face, she whispered, "You're under arrest, mister."

"For what?"

"Attempted abduction of a police officer for starters." Dana jerked him up by his collar, rousing the rest of the patrons with surprise.

Ranger Hunt was waiting when Dana shoved the handcuffed stranger across the street.

"Hey!" He shouted in his menial defense. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"Cooperate, and you won't have a thing to worry about," Dana admonished before a Ranger vehicle arrived behind them and carried the man away, reading him his rights as they left. Much to their relief, he cooperated; and the women were soon in route following the Crown Victoria across town to question their guest at Ranger Headquarters.

* * *

The Silvero living room was quiet and still. Like a cavern, it echoed in places, Katheryn's step causing the floors to creak ever so slightly as she paced the room in front of the ill-kept fireplace. She guessed the soot and ashes to be at least a month old if not longer as she came to a stop by Bobbie, checking her watch with a sigh. They looked at each other warily before Dana too eased up to join them, giving the telephone on the table in front of them a disgruntled sigh.

"Maybe it was a set up," Dana offered. "Figured she'd buy herself some time to get to the islands before you could say plea bargain."

Bobbie shook her head. "No, she'll call."

"I hope so," Katheryn asserted, raising her head to see Andy huddled by his other telephone in the kitchen. With her arms crossed against herself, Kath walked the steps over to him and laid a hand on his trembling one. "Everything's going to be okay, Andy. She'll call you."

"How can you be sure?" Andy asked, exasperation and fear causing his voice to shake uneasily on every word.

"The man Dana met in the bar confessed to being a part of the Mahoney organization. His job was just to call Jill with any news of you. He assumed you made bail and called Jill before making advances towards Dana. Which, I might add, was rather stupid on his part."

"And what if Jill is just pulling you right in? She could bust through that door and kill us all at any second!"

"I highly doubt that, Andy," Katheryn insisted, a smile twisting at her lips. "With her rap sheet, she won't be showing her face out in the open. If she wants to do you harm, she'll draw you out. And we'll be right there to make sure she doesn't hurt you."

Andy nodded the best he could despite his fear-filled thoughts that kept his focus wavering. At the sound of the telephone ringing, Katheryn wheeled around and rejoined the others by the phone.

Bobbie immediately picked up the phone, pressing a few necessary buttons to tap the call amid the pin-drop silence before she extended the phone, making eye contact with Andy so that he'd come to the phone. He did so cautiously and with plenty of care for each step he took.

"Hello?" He managed to squeak out, the phone shaking in his hands about as much as his lips shook.

"Andy, darling? Is that you?

"Y—yeah. What do you want?"

"Simple. I want you, baby. I heard how you got yourself into a little bind."

"It was your fault."

"Hm…that may be. But I still love you, Andy sweetheart. And…I want to give _us_ a chance again. You and me. I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble. Just—take me back. Please. Or…I'll give you a reason to have wished you had."

Jill's threatening tone gave Andy all the fear he needed to play the part as he swallowed hard and flashed Bobbie a nervous smile to which she nodded at him, urging him to continue on.

"Okay. I will."

"Good. Now, I have a favor to ask."

"Name it, sweet cakes."

"Meet me tonight at midnight at the corner of Wright and Mason. Behind where the old radio station used to be. It's an alley. A dark alley. A place where I can show you how much you mean to me."

Andy's forehead immediately began to bounce off rays of light as sweat poured from his forehead, glistening in the sun. "Okay. I—I'll be there."

"Good."

The way Jill had closed the conversation…the tone and intonation in her voice had nearly caused Andy to break his cover. That is, what cover he had managed to acquire in the first place. Slamming the phone down, Andy began verbally breathing in and out, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.

Exhaling sharply, Bobbie scoffed and turned away to face Kath. "Couldn't trace it," she stated with disappointment in her voice.

Dana through her hands up, sighing as she paced across the room. She braced her hand against the rather dilapidated fireplace mantle and half-turned, a smile teasing her features. "Well, I guess will have to do this thing the hard way."

"Don't you mean the fun way?" Katheryn's eyes glimmered with excitement.

"No," Bobbie scoffed, slipping between the two women in route for the exit. "The last thing I would consider this little errand to be is fun."

* * *

As Katheryn stood with her back against the brick wall, wishing the cramp that was seizing her calf would ease quickly before she was forced to groan and stretch it out, all she could think about was how much this moonlit night reminded her of that first night she and Carlos had ever been undercover together. Just shy of one year ago, the twosome had peered around a brick building much like this one, Kath observed, glancing above her head at the large four-story abandoned structure. Somehow the thought of doing it all over again did not come as a displeasure. But rather, she was fond of every memory…no matter how difficult that mission had turned out to be.

Carefully, Kath took a step closer to Bobbie, trying her best not to appear anxious as she watched the Ranger peer through a set of binoculars to the alley about ten yards away where Jill had agreed to meet with Andy. The plan was simple. As soon as Jill arrived expecting to meet Andy, the cavalry would move in and serve the conniving woman with a well-deserved arrest warrant. Katheryn remembered the woman's remarks to herself and Bobbie previously and admitted she was quite sure they wouldn't get out of this one without a fight. Therefore, she mentally prepared herself, closing her eyes for a brief second to focus before she opened them again, reinitiating her focus on the task at hand.

"See anything?" Katheryn whispered.

"Nope. Nothing," Bobbie replied, her voice also lowered to a strained whisper.

"Hey, guys," Dana alerted from behind Katheryn, causing the two ladies to turn. "We're ready. We've got two units for back up waiting about a minute away for the signal." Dana tapped the walkie on her hip for emphasis, inhaling sharply.

Silently they waited, their hearts beating against their chests, until the sound of vehicle coming to a stop from the other end of the alley stirred their captured attentions. Bobbie immediately shifted her weight, throwing a curious gaze around the corner through her binoculars.

"She's here," Bobbie whispered as Jill proceeded from the now silent car.

Jill looked around herself suspiciously as she finished the length of the walk to where Andy stood pacing nervously. She offered a smile and a gentle touch of her hand on his shoulder before she leaned into whisper something in his ear. He seemed to be blushing into a hundred shades as she drew away from him while giggling. Then slipping her hand inside of her jacket's inner pocket, she withdrew a small package of white powder no bigger than her own hand. She forced into Andy's hand, whispered another sweet nothing in his ear, and nearly was ready to do whatever evil was on her agenda when Bobbie appeared open and uncovered, hands clasped around and extending a gun at the woman as she took a few steps toward them.

"Hands in the air!" Bobbie instructed. Andy obeyed even though he was in the clear, looking to Jill in anxious hopes that she'd comply too. "Now!" Bobbie emphasized, her knuckles turning white as she held the weapon steadily on their suspect, her eyes aflame as she searched Jill's expression for a sign of compliance. But regrettably, she found none.

Much to the other two women's surprise, Jill seemed to be surrendering. They could even notice a slight smile slowly slipping onto Andy's face as Jill stepped forward with Andy hidden behind her back now. Bobbie had nearly holstered her weapon and reached for her handcuffs when Jill took a swing at her, landing a punch to the Ranger's eye. Bobbie doubled back, reaching a hand by reflex to her eye. Meanwhile, Dana and Katheryn waited with anticipation for Bobbie to give the signal for backup. But she ignored the planned-out notion, retaliating against the blow Jill dished out with one of her own. Jill caught herself before falling and swung again. But this time, Bobbie was prepared. With a kick to the woman's face, Ansley seemed to be defeated as she lay there on the ground, cradling her face in her hands and moaning some. But just as Bobbie reached for her pair of handcuffs the second time around, Jill directed her own kick, knocking Bobbie out completely cold and lifeless on the ground.

With Ansley escaping, Dana and Katheryn leapt from their hiding place and dove forward, quickly checking Bobbie for any sign of life. As soon as they heard Bobbie groan, Dana stood and reached for her weapon.

"I've got her," Dana called over her shoulder as she broke out into a sprint in the direction Jill had escaped to.

Meanwhile, Andy seemed dumbfounded, standing helplessly by the side as if he had been stunned. Katheryn glanced over him briefly and smiled. "Andy, you're okay now."

"Wha?" he blurted out, startled.

Kath shook her head and grinned. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

Once backup arrived and was tending to Bobbie, Katheryn suddenly felt helpless. Dana could hold her own. But surely she shouldn't have gone without backup. And as Kath looked over Andy beside herself, calming him gently with a hand on his shoulder, she sensed that he would be okay despite the slightly shakes he was fighting. And with the officers already on scene, she was no longer needed. At least that's how she felt until a loud, obtrusive explosion-like sound caused everyone to look suddenly in the direction of the noise.

"That sounded like a hand gun," one of the officers quipped and turned to Katheryn. "Did Reno have backup?"

Katheryn shook her head lamely, feeling like an idiot for letting Dana insist she handle the situation herself. It was not at all like her to refuse a challenge. And here she stood helplessly ignoring the fact that Dana had put her life on the line without her there.

The officer, once satisfied that Ranger Hunt was okay, stood swiftly and stepped forward in the direction Katheryn would indicate that Dana had chased their suspect to.

"I'm coming with you," Katheryn insisted, laying a hand gently on the middle-aged man's arm and glaring him in the eyes. She could tell through his hesitating stare that he wanted to insist she stay. But they both knew that there was no time for arguing.

"Let's go," he finally replied, letting the matter drop as Katheryn quickly kept his pace and followed him at a steady run around the next building, through an alley, and into the open air where they immediately noticed a body lying helplessly on the ground.

"Dana!" Katheryn rushed forward and squatted low to lift Dana's head off the ground and into her hands. "Dana?!" She checked for a pulse quickly before relief finally overcame her as Dana lifted a hand to her shoulder, cradling the bloodstained area as the pain seized her quite suddenly upon waking up.

"She went that way," Dana managed weakly, pointing limply towards a long, dark street ahead of them.

The officer with Katheryn nearly ran forward had Kath not stopped him firmly with her hand on his shoulder. "No! Let me go! Tend to officer Reno. She needs an ambulance. Believe me. This ain't my first rodeo."

Not surprisingly, the officer hesitated again, looking over this random female with enough questions that had him concerned about his job status come Monday morning. But he finally consented for the second time, watching helplessly as this young woman pursued the assailant on her lonesome with no backup. As far as he was concerned, it was the same mistake Dana Reno had just made. If his assumptions were right, it was bound to happen again. And he'd be the one to blame for anything that went wrong.


	5. Chapter 5

**.**

* * *

 **BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE**

 **Chapter Five**

* * *

As Katheryn slowed to a stop from running around the next block, she stood still a moment working to catch her breath and get her bearings as she looked down one alley and the next on her other side. Either direction, it wasn't very attractive. Dank scents of rotting garbage scintillated throughout, curving its way around Kath to make her feel quite uncomfortable. She tried not curling her nose at the scent; but it was almost impossible not to. Take one final refreshing inhale, she stood up straight and decided to let her instincts take charge. Looking to the left, she waited. Then to the right, she waited again. Nothing. No sign inward or outward seemed to be telling her where to go. But then that's when she suddenly jerked back to listen to the left side, squinting as she furrowed her brow to get a better listen. Scoffing, Katheryn raised her eyebrows this time, taking a wary step back. It wasn't that she was afraid…more like confused. For the sound seemed to be a voice…a female voice calling out for help. It seemed rather odd that a fugitive of the law would be crying out for help. That's the last thing they wanted! Taking another moment to process the rather interesting change of events, Katheryn knew she should give it a second thought. It had to be a trap. There was no other explanation.

Drawing her pistol from the base of her back, Katheryn clasped her hands around the weapon, raising it to her chest, ready to fire as she slowly sidestepped her way against the brick building beside her, inching closer to the cries for help. She knew she was going in the right direction since the voice was beginning to sound louder as she took each cautious step into the night. Then reaching the end of the building, Kath planted her back straight and firmly against the brick wall, lifting her eyes to look at the evening stars with her head resting against the bricks behind her. She then shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and then flashed her eyes open again with confidence, prepping herself for whatever was around the corner. Silently she counted down… _three_ , _two_ , _one_ , _GO!_

Swiftly Katheryn launched herself around the corner into the alley with her arms extended, her hands wrapped around her weapon aimed to fire.

Stunned, it took every bit of strength Katheryn could muster not to laugh. There before her, hanging helplessly by the convenience of her clothing on the top of the metal chain-length fence was their suspect, helpless and angry at her current predicament. Katheryn held her weapon steadily on the criminal, snorting a bit under her breath as she stifled an oncoming fit of laughter and inched closer to Ansley to get a better view.

"It's not funny!" Jill exclaimed, angrily writhing in a futile attempt to rid herself of the current predicament she found herself in.

"So, you finally decided to, um, hang around us for once instead of running away," Kath tried injecting her pun into the conversation as she holstered her weapon and crossed her arms against her chest, not desiring to move from her spot.

"Alright, Beaumont! You've had a laugh at my expense. Now get me down! Now!"

"Oh?" Katheryn put out her bottom lip into a frown. "Is somebody getting angry now?"

"Beaumont! Stop fooling! Get me off of this thing!"

"Well, now…you see I would. But I don't think it would help you any."

"What do you mean?!"

"You're looking at a long time behind bars. Your file was pretty colorful last time I looked. So, you wouldn't want to stay up there longer now would you?"

"I'll sue you for this!" Jill threatened, her "feminine wiles" long surrendered to pure hate and anger that spewed from her voice. No longer was she the demure temptress. But instead she had become this selfish, unrepentant menace. For she had finally shown her true colors.

After another self-indulgent moment of justice, Katheryn reached for her walkie from her hip and called in their backup for help. Within the next two minutes, the same middle-aged uniformed officer that had accompanied her moments ago, arrived at the scene with gun extended prepared to defend. He too had much of the same reaction as Katheryn had, holstering his weapon and taking a well-deserved moment to chuckle at the criminal's demise.

"You think we should just leave her there?" the officer asked Katheryn in jest.

Katheryn chuckled. "It's tempting. But I suppose that would fall under that category of cruel and unusual punishment."

"No, it's not cruel," the officer corrected. "But it for sure is unusual."

After sharing a laugh, the twosome complied with helping Jill remove herself from the tangled situation she currently was encumbered to on the topside of the metal fence. Once removed, she was far too tired to fight and somewhat willingly let the officer cuff her and read her rights to her. Then they began the journey back towards the police vehicles a few short blocks away.

Katheryn returned to the scene of flashing red and blue lights to see Bobbie sitting against the side front hood of one of the patrol cars, nursing a throbbing head in her hand. Dana meanwhile was being tended to by paramedics in the back of an open ambulance nearby. Thankfully, she was alert and awake. Most likely the bullet had only grazed her, Kath hoped, feeling relieved that they had all made it through this alive.

Watching the officer put Jill into the back of the patrol car that Bobbie still occupied, Katheryn let her thoughts drift to think about her week thus far. In all honesty, it was far from over too. Having not heard from the Rangers or Miss Cahill anymore, she could only pray this meant good things for them all and not the worst. Still, the thought lingered in her mind that somehow the worst was unavoidable. But she quickly ridded herself from that thought. After all, she had made it through so much already. Why was this any different? All she wanted to do now was go home and settle in with a favorite read, a cup of warm tea, and the company of her best friend. If she was lucky, she might even get to top the day off with a phone call from that certain special someone in her life. Life…without hesitation as Katheryn watched the scene before her, she was distinctly and unashamedly glad to be alive.

* * *

Katheryn gave the second brand new window one last satisfying onceover, smiling as she turned to go join the others in the kitchen where Molly was serving drinks to the recovering crew as the repairs were finally winding down to a close. There was still several tasks to be done. The furniture had to be situated back as it should with a few improvements in mind applied to the overall layout. A few valences had to be installed. And donations were still pouring in from various sources to restock what had been so wrongfully stolen or damaged.

Molly handed a grinning Katheryn a bottle of water as she entered the kitchen, stopping in between Carlos and Tommy next to the stove.

"Well," Kath announced, pausing to unscrew the lid from and take a refreshing sip of her water. "Things are really coming together quite well I'm glad to say."

Carlos wrapped his arm around her and gave her a light squeeze from the side. "You did a really good job with Alex occupied right now."

"Thanks," Katheryn beamed, looking satisfied as she looked into Carlos' bright face. "But it was a team effort."

Molly tipped her head to the side and scoffed lightly. "True. But you took the reins, Katheryn. We could have never done our part without some good leadership. And you did exactly everything Alex would have done had she been here."

"Oh," Kath chuckled. "You guys are too much."

"No we're not," Tommy commented in jest. "We're just right," he teased and playfully elbowed Katheryn from her other side, joining the others as light laughs drifted among them.

The vague sound of the new television set echoed from Alex's office a short way across the hall—it sounded like a news report or something—filling in the friendly silence before the little group suddenly turned towards Trent's voice calling them all into the room.

"Hey, guys! Get in here. You've got to see this."

Trent was standing a yard away from the screen and raising the volume with the remote control when the rest of them entered and surrounded him from behind, gazing at the local news report. He crossed his arms against his chest and gave Carlos and Katheryn a wary glance before they both centered their attention on the television.

"Panic on the streets and pandemonium on the highways as Dallas residents flee the city…"

Visuals of hundreds of cars vacating the Dallas metro area flashed over the screen, coupled with more reports of concern and worry as the reporter announced to the entire city the fear and trepidation that had begun to cripple the city in light of the anthrax distribution scare.

Once the report came to a close, Trent clicked the television off and tossed the remote onto Alex's desk with an elongated sigh as he turned to face the others.

"What should we do?" Molly cautiously broke the silence, taking a step closer to Trent.

Carlos stepped up beside Katheryn and slipped his hand into hers, drawing her gaze. "What's the last any of us have heard from Walker or the others?"

"I spoke to Alex briefly last night. They are still getting a fix on possible locations the anthrax could be." Katheryn reluctantly slipped away from Carlos and ambled over to the window to watch the sunlight bend against the back yard of the center and bathe it in its beautiful rays. She could almost see little Jane that first week Kath had worked there and Alex had stepped out onto the veranda to call her inside. Katheryn had felt so shy back then. It was a foreign idea to her now days; for she had grown in so many ways since then. She had just taken over for Alex and Josie in fact, something she never would have dreamed she'd be doing right then. But now, the uncertain future seemed to be slipping away from her, telling her it had all been for nothing.

Katheryn suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped slightly beneath the touch, turning around to see Carlos' worried gaze looking over at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his tone a loving one.

Kath nodded, attempting to let him know what was not true. "Yeah. It's just…I don't think we should leave like everyone else. We've worked so hard to get here to where we are. Why should we let this scare us away?"

"But you do have others in the center to think about you know."

"Yeah, I know," Katheryn sighed, completely understanding that her responsibility involved more than just herself. Sure, she was the brave one. But she could not ask the people who depended upon the H.O.P.E. center for a sense of safety to stay and risk their lives with her. "I—I can't leave the center, Carlos," she returned, a pleading look in her eyes. "This place means the world to me. I don't know how this is going to turn out. But I think we should have a little faith. First, have faith in God. Second, have faith in Walker, the Rangers, Miss Cahill, and everyone on our team who is working tirelessly to save hundreds of lives here. We owe it to them to see this thing through."

"But," Trent countered. "As much as I agree with you, you and I both know Walker and Alex would want you and the center to be saved most of all."

Katheryn nodded limply before returning her gaze outside. She crossed her arms and exhaled, "I know. But…I refuse to act out of fear."

Molly stepped up beside her best friend. "Is this why you didn't tell us about the scare right away?"

Katheryn nodded, now somewhat ashamed that she had hidden any of the information from those closest to her. "I didn't want you guys to worry."

Molly wrapped her arms around her best friend and smiled. "That was sweet of you." She began drawing away to look Kath determinedly in the eyes. "But don't let it happen again."

Katheryn chuckled, "Aye aye."

From the porch, they could suddenly hear footsteps just before street noise filled the center. Somebody had arrived and none of them were without their curiosity. As the little gang sauntered back towards the front of the center, they all immediately were greeted by Pastor Roscoe and his warm embraces for them all.

"Roscoe, what brings you over here?" Katheryn inquired.

"Well," Roscoe replied. "When you called about asking folks if they'd like to donate to the center, it got me to thinking that I should come over myself and do a little bit of the Lord's work."

"You didn't have to," Molly inserted sincerely. "We were just about finished anyway."

"Well then..." Roscoe clapped his hands together, a broad grin spreading across his face. "I guess we'll just have to set to work doing some spiritual repair. I say we ought to lift up our city in prayer. That's the only thing that will get us through this next twenty-four hours."

"I couldn't agree more," Trent concluded, inviting Roscoe in for a drink before they all gathered on the front porch of the center and said a prayer for the Rangers and other law enforcement, the city of Dallas, and whatever the near future held for them all.

* * *

There was only two hours left until noon, Katheryn observed from the H.O.P.E. center's foyer, her shoes tapping against the floor and sounding in the pin-drop silence as she paced. Molly sat on the fourth step of the staircase, her hands folded in front of her in silent prayer, trying her best to keep a strong front. Trent was in the kitchen with Tommy stocking the last of the wave of donations they had received to replace the damaged and unusable ones. Carlos came through the door seconds later, Katheryn throwing her arms around him and letting the seconds tick away as he held her.

"Thanks for coming," Katheryn whispered, pulling away to look at Carlos. She shot a glance at the grandfather clock in the far corner and sighed sharply. "God, I wish that clock would stop chiming. It's about to drive me mad."

Carlos offered a reassuring smile and gave her hand a light squeeze. "Any word from Walker?"

Katheryn shook her head. "No. And that's making me crazy even more."

Carlos embraced Katheryn once again, him initiating the separation this time to look in her eyes. "It'll be alright."

"Oh, I know." Katheryn scoffed and cocked her head to look at the few children quietly playing in the next room. "I hope to God my instincts are right. I would hate to see these poor kids suffer just because their parents put faith in me that everything was going to be alright."

"Hey," Carlos set a hand on Kath's shoulder to stop her wandering thoughts and bring them back to him. "You don't have to burden yourself like this. It's not your fault some loonies out there feel the need to complicate our lives. You know, I think it's rather brave of you to want to stay and protect the place."

Katheryn smiled.

"It's crazy," Carlos jabbed with a raise of his eyebrow. "But very commendable at the same time."

Katheryn punched Carlos on the arm, her mouth opening. "Not fair."

The phone ringing from the kitchen then sent Katheryn into a whirlwind as she spun around and rushed forward into the kitchen only to find Trent had already answered the phone. He gave her a sideways glance as he waited in silence before he hung up the phone and turned a smile to Katheryn.

"It's just a wrong number," Trent chuckled. Katheryn could even hear a snicker come from Tommy as he munched on a snack by the sink.

"It's not funny!" Katheryn breathed a sigh of annoyance more than relief as they walked together back into the rest of the center where Carlos and Molly were. "I don't think you guys realize how much is weighing on me right now."

"We do," Trent offered apologetically and stopped to take Katheryn by the shoulders. "I'm sorry. _We_ are sorry."

"No, Trent. You don't have to apologize. I'm too worked up. It's not like me to be like this. It's just that Alex has put so much trust in me that I want to make her proud."

"And you've done nothing but make her proud since you started working with her here over a year ago. Everything will be fine," Trent consoled.

Carlos gave his watch an anxious glance and slipped up beside Kath with a kiss on her cheek. "I've got to get going. Assuming the DPD won't have us shipping out before noon, I've got to get with Theresa about this case. I think I know what might have started this mess."

"Oh?" Katheryn asked curiously.

"Yeah." Carlos made a point to look her in the eyes and promised, "I'll call you later."

"Alright. Stay safe!" Katheryn called after Carlos as he hurried out of the center.

Trent turned back to Katheryn once he had her attention back. "What do you say we go to the dojo and work some of your stress out?"

"Now?" Katheryn asked, surprised at the offer. But she quickly relaxed at Trent's nod and smile, realizing she would like nothing better than to go at it with Trent on the mat. She smiled broadly and gave Trent a light punch on the arm. "Let's do it!"

* * *

Trent and Katheryn spent the next hour at Thunder Karate practicing mostly the maneuvers and routines Katheryn had been learning and becoming proficient in the past few weeks in order to earn her next belt. Trent distinctly could tell he would have another black belt on his hands in no time. With the dedicated hours of practice and skill study Katheryn had put in in just over a year, Trent was not only surprised but very proud and pleased at how far she had come. Of course, the road to her black belt had not been paved without some difficulties. There had been moments over the course of these months that Katheryn doubted why on earth she even wanted to excel in this form. It was ridiculous. Or so she had convinced herself until Trent would quickly set her straight many times and keep her going with gentle and encouraging talks and sometimes blood-boiling shouts in the dojo as she trained that told her she was not a quitter and could do anything she set her mind to. It didn't take long for that to sink right back in and get her back into focus…a state she enjoyed more than she ever would let on. Now, a year later, she was tangling with Trent Malloy on his own dojo floor as if she were having fun. Which, she confessed, was the truth. She enjoyed every minute of it.

By the time the two were sweaty, tired, and ready to call it quits, they found themselves searching for the clock. _11:58_ , the clock read, sending them both into a state of tension they wish they could have avoided had they continued training for just a few more minutes to fill in the time.

Katheryn quickly hurried to the telephone in the dojo loft office and dialed for the center.

"H.O.P.E. center. This is Molly," Molly answered.

"Molly," Katheryn greeted, still very much out of breath. "How is everything over there?"

"It's just fine," Molly insisted and smiled at Tommy tussling with one of the six-year-olds in the next room. "It's going great."

"Any news from Walker or Alex?"

"No. No news," Molly replied forlornly.

No sooner had Molly uttered those last words did they both feel an earth-shattering tremor and explosion shake the entire city. A few objects could be heard rattling on tabletops as the blast settled. Silenced layered on either sides of the phone line as they all froze and waited for the inevitable.

The tremor lasted only ten seconds before everything seemed to return to normal. Tommy and Molly both looked to each other, concern in their eyes. Katheryn turned to look out of the window, Trent hurrying up to the loft behind her to also see any signs of mayhem. But there was nothing. All they could see in the distance was a tiny stream of blackened smoke, bellowing up into the sky. They could barely see a licking flame or two. But everything else seemed to be in order.

"Katheryn?!" Molly broke the deafening silence over the phone line. "A—are you still there?"

Katheryn swallowed hard, her voice feeling shaky. "Yes—yes I'm still here. Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah," Molly reassured as quickly as she could. "No harm done."

"At least not yet," Katheryn heard Tommy faintly remind them from his place by the children.

As much as Kath hated hearing him say that, he was right. They had no way of knowing yet if that explosion was either a good thing or bad thing. If in just mere seconds the anthrax spores would envelope the city like a blanket, sending the city into pandemonium.

"I'm going to go ahead and hang up," Molly replied, "just in case Alex or the others should call."

"Good thinking. Stay safe. I'll talk to you later." Katheryn hung up the phone and let out a deep exhale as she huddled around Trent's desk. As she stood there, she gave her own desk a glance and smiled. She had loved every single minute that she had worked by Trent's side since he had made her partner. She would not have traded the experience for anything the world could offer her. Yet someone through every bit of pride in her heart, all she wanted was to be back at the H.O.P.E. center, assuring that everyone was okay.

"If you don't mind," Katheryn began, her voice still somewhat shaky, "I'd like to go back to the center."

"Okay," Trent nodded, wiping his face with a towel. "Sure thing. I'll drive you back over."

"Thanks," Katheryn smiled. "I'd appreciate it."

"No problem. That's what big brothers are for right?"

Katheryn laughed and threw an arm around Trent as they started for the stairs. "Absolutely! And don't you forget it."

As Trent brought his Stingray to a stop by the center's curb moments later, Katheryn could already tell something was different. Despite the sun shining a little bit brighter, Molly, Tommy, Adam, Bobbie, and Dana were all gathered on the veranda, exchanging hugs and laughter as if nothing was wrong.

Kath quickly threw open the Corvette's door and shut it before she ran up the walk to the veranda, interrupting the exchange. "What's up? Is everything okay?"

"More than okay," Molly announced. "They did it!"

"Walker and Trivette found where they had planted the anthrax with the bomb," Bobbie explained. "He couldn't disarm it in time. So he had a chopper carrying him outside the city where it was safely exploded."

"So there's no threat?" Kath asked, wanting to be sure she wasn't dreaming.

"No! No threat whatsoever," Bobbie assured.

Katheryn and Molly threw their arms around each other and rejoiced. Trent joined them on the veranda and assuming the obvious, smiled and let the brief celebration continue.

"Hey, we should celebrate," Molly offered.

"Celebrate?" Trent questioned, wrinkling his forehead.

"That's a great idea, Molly. Won't you make something special and we'll have a little party here tonight. We can invite as many people who are involved with the center and get a little celebration going."

"Besides the obvious, what would we be celebrating though?" Bobbie inquired curiously.

Katheryn smiled. "We will celebrate the fact that this is the beginning of something great. Only the best days are ahead for the center and Dallas. Only God knows just how many more people there are out there that we can impact for good. That's what we have to celebrate."

"Then count me in," Bobbie replied. "You want me to round up some food? C.D.'s chili perhaps?"

"I think Kath should make her new specialty," Molly winked at Kath, a smile teasing her lips.

"I believe they call it, _receta de arroz imperial_. Am I right?"

"Yes," Katheryn sighed, a smile slipping onto her own lips. "Cuban Imperial Rice…for those of you here who don't know Spanish."

"She's been trying to impress Carlos," Molly whispered to Trent.

"I see," Trent chuckled and leaned in to Kath with a grin. "Well, it sounds good. I can't wait to try it."

"Thanks." Katheryn crossed her arms against her chest and offered a tight-lipped smile. "I think I'll call Amy Ochoa too. She and Leon have been a great help around the center when they can help."

With everyone in agreement, they all went their separate ways to accomplish the tasks necessary to make the night happen. Meanwhile, Trent informed them he was late for a friendly visit to a local establishment he had found where a certain source of information Butch had recommended was known to hang out regularly. If this tip paid off, he could finally find Bo-Bo Barnes and end this little hiding charade the goon seemed to be good at keeping up lately.


	6. Chapter 6

**.**

* * *

 **BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE**

 **Chapter Six**

* * *

With Jill Ansley finally behind bars, Andy cleared of all charges to go back to his own life, and the anthrax threat long behind them, things began to finally return to normal. That is, the normally busy, non-stop pace at the center that Katheryn enjoyed thoroughly. Even with the threat of having to cope with the dangers Trent and Carlos had currently found themselves in, it was that very determined look in Carlos' eyes that had at first attracted her to him, Katheryn mused reflectively as she remembered back to last year when they were paired together as only but strangers to each other at that time. The way he wanted to make a difference by seeing evil defeated…She loved him for it. Still, she wondered what the future held as she set to work organizing the last few photos she had to place into her scrapbook at the rather peaceful dining table in the shared apartment. Across the table was spread more than merely photos but cherished memories, each one having a distinct place in her heart.

"Hey, Kath!" Molly called from the next room, drawing Katheryn's gaze.

"Yeah?" Kath yelled in return.

Molly peeked around the corner from the short hall. "We need to get a move on! The party will start without us."

Katheryn smirked as she closed her scrapbook. "Since when did you become anxious for parties?"

"I don't know. I guess I just wouldn't miss a chance to celebrate with our friends. Now get a move on. And don't tell me you're not eager also!"

Katheryn hardly had a chance to reply through her smile as Molly disappeared back into the bedroom. Reluctantly, Kath bid her project goodbye for now and pushed herself away from the counter to follow Molly in preparation for the evening ahead.

Even as the wheels of Katheryn's Stingray came to a standstill along the street next to the H.O.P.E. center, Katheryn giving the familiar building a thorough glance, she knew very well that Molly was right. She was just as eager to spend the evening in celebration with those closest to them…the people they had helped along the way and the people whom they spent every day serving others with. In short, it was perfect. Well, almost perfect.

"Molly, have you heard from the guys any today?" Katheryn asked as she climbed from the driver's side of the Corvette and looked over the open top to the other side where Molly was also getting out of the passenger side and shutting the door.

Molly shook her head. "No, I haven't heard from either of them."

"Hm, Carlos said he'd come by the center after he got off duty this afternoon."

"Maybe lunch with Teresa lasted longer than he thought."

"True." Kath considered that option as they walked side by side up the walkway to the center.

Amy Ochoa and Josie were already there gathered on the porch in jovial conversation as Molly and Katheryn arrived, joining them on the veranda with smiles gracing their faces.

"Josie," Kath embraced her friend. "When did you get back?"

"Just about an hour ago."

"Hey, you should go home and relax then. You don't want to be here with us."

Josie laughed. "Are you kidding?! I wouldn't dream of missing a chance to party with the girls."

All the women shared a laugh before a vehicle stopping alongside the street behind Kath's Stingray drew their attention.

"It's Alex," Amy commented with a smile before pointing inside. "I'm going to head back inside and finish helping Donna."

"Alright," Kath smiled, setting a friendly hand on Amy's arm as she turned to leave.

"Well, hello, everyone!" Alex beamed a smile as she made her way across the front yard to join the ladies. "Looks like the gang's all here."

"Well, almost everyone," Katheryn corrected as she wrapped Alex in a welcome embrace. "Have you heard from Trent or Carlos?"

Alex shook her head. "No, I haven't. I'm sure they'll be here any minute though."

"You're right," Kath smiled. "I'm probably worrying for nothing."

"No," Alex searched for Kath's eyes. "You're in love. It's an incurable sickness."

Kath blushed, turning to Molly. "Oh, I almost forgot about my dish. It's in the car. I'll be right back."

As the others watched Katheryn hurry away, Amy slipped back outside onto the porch with the phone in her hand and a somber expression sweeping over her face. "Miss Cahill?"

Alex turned at the sound of the voice and smiled. "Yes? What is it, Amy?"

"It's the police department. They'd like to speak to Miss Beaumont."

"Is it Detective Sandoval?"

"No, ma'am."

"I'll take it," Alex accepted the phone and put it to her ear. "This is Alex Cahill speaking."

The silence was almost unbearable for the other women as they watched Alex's face for any hint of what the phone call was about while they also watched to see Kath jovially returning to them.

"Okay. Thank you. I will." Alex hung up just as Katheryn stopped next to her.

Katheryn glanced from the gals to Alex, a concerned expression starting to slip onto her face. "Who was that on the phone?"

"Oh, um, it was just someone needing some information about the center," Alex supplied.

"Gotcha," Kath replied and carried on inside the center with her casserole dish in hand, making a passing comment beneath her breath about the heaviness of the item.

As soon as Kath was out of earshot, Molly turned to Alex and asked quietly, "Why did you lie to her, Alex?"

"She has had too much on her plate to worry right now," Alex explained. "They said an officer was killed this afternoon. A detective. They don't have the details though."

"Was Carlos…is he…?"

Alex shook her head. "That's all they said."

"But why did they call Katheryn if it wasn't…" Molly couldn't finished her question, the words catching in her throat threateningly.

Silence settled between them all before Donna slipped outside, her cheerfulness breaking into their doldrums. "Hey, guys. Come on in out of the heat! Guests will be arriving any moment now!" She had flashed back inside before any of them could respond.

"She's right," Molly forced a smile. "We should cheer up. Carlos will arrive any second now and straighten everything out. Meanwhile, we should celebrate like we planned on doing in the first place."

"Yeah," Alex's smile grew steadily by the second. "You are absolutely right. Let's go."

With a touch of laughter, the ladies joined the others inside the center and welcomed their guests soon after, many of which were people whom they had made a lasting influence on over the past year. The center was celebrating a birthday of sorts and a new beginning. And that was something that was well worth celebrating.

* * *

The roaring engine of her prized Corvette seemed to lull Kath into her thoughts as she drove across town amid the darkness of the night. She held her foot steady on the gas, trying her best to keep an eye on the speedometer while she sorted through her thoughts. But that task was becoming rather difficult. Butch's voice over the phone had held such a legitimate concern when he had called to let her know what had happened. Katheryn still had a hard time wrapping her mind around what had transpired today. Suddenly she felt guilty. Guilty that while Carlos had been going through hell, she had spent her evening in laughter and celebration. Suddenly, one day felt like an eternity.

Coming to a stop next to Trent's Stingray outside of Carlos' warehouse apartment, Katheryn powered down the engine to sit there and listen to the distant city of Dallas continuing to work away like a beating heart. If she was still enough, she could hear her own heart beating in the pin-drop silence of the night, lulled by the symphony of the city. With her hands still on the steering wheel, Katheryn leaned forward to rest her head on the wheel, turning slightly to lean her head against her arm to look up at Carlos' apartment. With little emotion on her face, a small tear slipped away. But she managed to brush it away and sit back up before she allowed the emotion to get to her. Instead, she took a quick look at her face in the mirror before inhaling and exhaling sharply. Then she slipped her cross-body purse around her neck, settling in on her shoulder and taking up her keys to exit the vehicle. Her steps were intent and firm against the pavement as she strode forward, coming to the entrance only for Trent to startle her as he was leaving out at the same time.

Kath laughed the matter off and smiled, "I'm so sorry, Trent. I was lost in my thoughts there and didn't hear or see you."

"Don't worry about it," Trent assured. But as he observed her face closer, he knew she was not telling the whole truth. She was like a sister to him. He knew her too well to let her lie to him. Slipping his hands beneath his leather jacket into his jeans' pocket, he inquired, "Are you sure that's all?"

"Yeah," Katheryn brushed it off. But as soon as she let herself lock eyes with Trent, she knew he would not let her off that easily. With a smile of surrender, Katheryn finally gave in. "I've actually been meaning to speak with you, Trent. This isn't how or where I wanted to tell you. But I feel it needs to be said."

Trent began to be concerned at this point and began running scenarios through his mind. "Are you and Carlos all right?"

"Oh, yes!" Kath was quick to assure him. "At least I think so." She glanced up at the darkness in Carlos' window and frowned. "I guess I'll see for sure here shortly."

"Don't worry. I think he's doing much better now after me and Butch talked to him. Besides, I think just seeing you will make all the difference."

Kath beamed a smile before she took control of her emotions and remembered what she had wanted to tell Trent. "But, um, I have absolutely loved working with you more than anything I've ever done in my life. The experiences we've had together is something I'll always treasure. I just—this whole ordeal with the anthrax scare…it reminded me of why I started working with Alex in the first place. True, I needed a job desperately. But at the same time, I wanted to help people. And that was the way God had me doing it. And…I haven't told anyone, but Alex has been asking me about making my position at the H.O.P.E. center a full-time job. With the center growing every day, we need more structure. And Josie needs all the help she can get."

Katheryn paused to see how Trent would respond. He held a steady gaze on her as he listened. She knew he fully understood her implications but decided to continue explaining herself, if not for her own benefit.

"I've also been thinking about me and Carlos a lot lately. And—I don't know what tomorrow holds for us. But I do know that I'll be of no good to him right now if I'm in ten places at once. So…"

"You want to take some time away from the protection agency," Trent supplied, noticing Katheryn was struggling to finally say the words.

Kath nodded lamely and turned to look at the darkened Dallas skyline on her right. When she turned back to look at Trent, he was smiling. She almost was mad about it but was too confused to feel either emotional extreme.

"Kath," Trent proceeded to explain, "I'm proud of you."

"Proud of me?! I'm letting go of something I love. And I'm leaving you hanging. How could you be proud of me?"

"Because you're doing the right thing."

"I wish it felt like the right thing."

"Let's get one thing straight," Trent emphasized with a lift of his eyebrows. "I'm not letting you off the hook that easy."

"I see how it is," Katheryn chuckled, nodding in a somewhat sarcastic agreement.

Trent then drew Kath to himself, wrapping her in a brotherly embrace. As they pulled away from each other a few seconds later, Trent took her by the shoulders and searched for her eyes. "You are an incredible young woman. I've never met another woman who has guts like you do but still has a heart for others. Not many twenty-two year olds can say they've done what you've done. And trust me, we may not be partners officially any more. But if you stick around, I'm sure we'll put you to work."

Katheryn nearly guffawed as she thought through how true Trent's words were. "Yeah. I suppose you're right. After all, that's how I met you guys. I was just minding my own business. Then suddenly I'm eating snacks in a dungeon with a handsome cop."

They shared a laugh before Trent patted Kath on the back and motioned towards his blue beauty. "Well, I ought to be getting home. I promised Carlos I'd be back early in the morning to start helping him sort this thing out."

"Alright," Kath took a deep breath as she glanced forward past Trent, pointing up at Carlos' apartment. "I ought to be going too."

Trent smiled as he turned halfway from walking back to his car and offered in the only way he could, "Everything will be all right."

Katheryn breathed a brief thank you and watched Trent drive away before slipping inside the old warehouse building. She wound her way through the hall and found the familiar staircase that led up to Carlos' loft apartment and stood there for a second before placing three gentle knocks on the door. It was only a short few seconds of silence before the door opened and Katheryn saw Carlos smile. It was a welcome relief to see a bit of joy on his face after all Butch had said had happened to him today. Still, she could tell he looked exhausted and promised herself not to stay long.

Carlos quickly stepped aside to let Kath in the apartment and then wandered back over across the open floor to the little dining table in the middle of the kitchen. He tried clearing a bit of space, hanging the telephone back up on the kitchen counter before finding himself at the fridge, gazing at the somewhat bare contents inside. He had planned to stop by the store today. But clearly that had all changed.

Glancing back towards the living room, Carlos called out softly, "You want something to drink?"

"Just some water is okay," Katheryn replied as she settled herself on the sofa.

Carlos returned to her side seconds later with a bottle of water and handed it to her. Accepting the item with a smile, Katheryn watched as Carlos sat down across from her in the opposite chair and exhaled sharply, running his hand through his hair before he leaned back to relax in the silence. Katheryn was about to open her drink when she changed her mind and set it down on the coffee table. Carlos then leaned forward and picked up a file from the coffee table and began searching through it.

"Butch called and told me what happened," Kath began with a firm but sympathetic tone. "Why didn't you call me?"

Carlos chuckled. "That's what Trent said."

"Well, he was right," Katheryn emphasized with a raise of her eyebrows. "I spent my whole evening celebrating at the center when you were going through hell. Do you have any idea how I felt when Butch told me?"

"Like I told Trent, I just needed some time to think."

Katheryn forced herself out of her seat and crossed over to sit in the chair next to Carlos. She reached out and set her hand on his. "Well, are you done thinking?"

"Hardly. But for you…" Carlos cocked a smile towards Kath and gently pressed a kiss on her lips. He then turned back to look over the file still limply hanging in his hands, a somber expression sweeping over his face. He was suddenly reliving the day all over again. "I laid down my weapon, Kath. I'm a cop." Carlos searched in Kath's eyes for the answer to his question as he asked, "Why? How could I do that?"

Katheryn slipped her hand into Carlos' and gave it a gentle squeeze as she continued to look Carlos in the eyes. "We all make mistakes." She knew it sounded cliché as she said the words but couldn't find the right ones to console the man she loved.

"Kath, Theresa—she died because of my mistake. I can't undo it. She's gone…and all because of me."

Without hesitation, Katheryn slipped out of the chair and leaned against Carlos, kneeling down next him with her arm snuggly settled in his. She rested her head against his shoulder and took a deep breath. Carlos turned to press a kiss against her forehead, the silence seeming to fill in the gap where words failed.

He grasped Kath's hand and gave her a smile. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Make the place a little brighter."

Katheryn chuckled, not taking her eyes off of Carlos'. "It's a secret."

"Right," Carlos rolled his eyes away from her, still smiling.

"Hey, have you had anything to eat?"

"Nope." Carlos rubbed at an ache in his neck as he caught a glimpse of a sly smile slipping on to Kath's face. "What did you have in mind?"

Katheryn noticed the time on the wall clock. _9:28_. She flashed a smile and hurried across the room to the kitchen to look inside the fridge. She spent a few silent seconds surveying what she could use to make something special on a whim. But she was beginning to doubt if that was going to happen. "I think I'll order a pizza," she mumbled beneath her breath.

"What?" Carlos asked, curiously gazing across the room.

"Nothing!" Katheryn replied and shut the fridge door, wheeling around to face Carlos, a mischievous smile on her face. She ambled back across the apartment, finding the telephone and handing it to Carlos. "I hear that new place on Lamar delivers."

With a glare and chuckle, Carlos snagged the phone from Katheryn and returned it back to its home. He noticed Kath's confused stare and answered, "I've got a better idea."

"Oh?" Katheryn waited for Carlos to reveal his little secret as he took her hand and led her back into the kitchen. With his free hand, he lifted his index finger for emphasis. "See…you didn't check the freezer."

"What's in the freezer?" Katheryn queried, having a hard time quelling her smile as she watched Carlos carry on.

Releasing Kath's hand, Carlos opened the freezer and drew out a carton of mint chocolate chip ice cream, new and unopened. He displayed the item proudly to her, knowing it was her favorite before he took it over to the counter next to the sink and began exploring the cabinets for bowls and spoons. Cocking a smile, Kath slipped up beside him and closed the cabinet before he had a chance to get any bowls out. After Carlos gave her a confused glare, Katheryn reached into the drawer beside her for two spoons and handed one to him with a mischievous smile.

"Who needs a bowl?" she winked.

Grinning, Carlos snapped off the lid to the half-gallon container, abandoning it on the counter top and following Katheryn back into the living room area where they quickly curled up on the couch, sharing in their little indulgence together for the remainder of the hour.

By the time ten o'clock came and went, they both knew their need for sleep was necessary to handle the day to come…whatever it would hold. Letting Kath go with a final kiss and a promise to call in the morning, Carlos watched in the window of his apartment to be sure Kath left safely before he began thinking about the day all of over again. As exhaustion settled over him, so did the worry return all over again. All of the taunting from his nemesis seemed to overtake his thoughts again. Yet he promised himself a little sleep might do the trick of helping him to refocus and quickly turned in for the night, mentally reliving the better part of the evening in his mind to quell the horrors of where his day had begun.


	7. Chapter 7

**.**

* * *

 **Before It's Too Late**

 **FINAL CHAPTER**

* * *

Katheryn stood gazing at the Dallas skyline sunset outside of her apartment for the better part of half an hour while sipping on a cup of coffee before pacing back to the sofa where Molly kept busy with their currently ongoing scrapbooking project. Molly turned up a brief smile to her best friend before she reached over to the stack of Polaroid photos and placed it on the blank canvas with a second glance, checking to make sure it was straight. From where she stood looking over Molly's shoulders, Kath instantly remembered the moment she had taken that photo. It was from the day of Tandy's birthday party. A smile flashed over Kath's face as she saw Trent tussling Tommy over in the background of the photo while Tandy posed with Moses for the photograph. Kath had remembered how she wished Trent and Tommy would act right so that the photo would be perfect. But as she looked at the imperfections, Kath realized just how perfect the photo really was. With one photo, she had managed to capture time. While such a mere object could never do a human memory the justice it deserves, Kath was immensely thankful to have a version of the memory to hold, whisking her back in heart and mind to that moment of many that she promised herself she would never forget.

Molly took one look at Katheryn smiling face and turned back to her work, hiding a smile. "Have you talked to Carlos or Trent today?"

"No." Katheryn shook her head and took a deep breath before letting her weight sink into the couch next to Molly. "Before I left his apartment last night, Carlos said he and Trent were going to get together this morning to discuss how they plan on tracking down the killer themselves."

Molly carefully placed the aforesaid photo into its permanent home in the scrapbook as she replied, "Did you and Carlos talk about his future plans any?"

"Yeah. A little." Katheryn set down her coffee cup next to the stack of photos and drew one out of the stack to gaze at as she spoke. "Quitting the force wasn't something he wanted to do. He felt like he had to do it. Still, it will take some getting used to."

"And what about you? Did you tell Trent?"

Katheryn nodded. "Yeah, I did. Although he insists he isn't going to let me off the hook that easy," Kath quipped with an accompanying smile that faded quickly. "But I don't know if I've made the right choice now. I mean, with Carlos no longer at the DPD and me no longer working with Trent, I feel like we are letting everyone down."

"No, Kath, don't say that. You and Carlos aren't in our lives just because you're good at solving crimes. We're friends. No, more than that. We're a family."

"Thanks." Kath smiled from the corner of her mouth, cocking her head to look at Molly. "What would I do without you?"

"I have no idea," Molly chuckled. "Oh by the way…" Molly rose suddenly and hurried to the kitchen and back with a note in hand. "Amy Ochoa said for me to tell you if you ever need time off at the center, she'd be glad to help around the place. With everything that Alex and Carlos did for her, she wants to pay it back in some way."

Katheryn took the note from Molly as she returned and read the little hand-written memento from Amy. Smiling, Katheryn sighed, "See, this is what I'm talking about. I love the feeling I get when I realize I've been a part of helping someone. Even if it's remote."

"Well, just don't let Trent know you have a substitute lined up. Or he'll snag you for an investigation for sure."

Katheryn chuckled, "Oh, I by no means plan to take advantage of Amy's kind nature. Besides, he understands I need to spend more time at the center."

Molly shook her head. "Kath, you don't realize what you're saying."

"What do you mean?"

"You seriously would have me to believe that you will never help the guys with a case ever again?"

"Yeah," Katheryn insisted. But Molly could tell by her shaky voice and wandering gaze that nothing could be farther from the truth.

"Katheryn Beaumont, admit it. Give it a week and you'll be working with Trent like nothing ever happened."

"Okay, alright! So I won't be able to keep myself away from a little action. You're right. But that doesn't mean I can't keep the center my number one priority. Besides, there's something else I haven't told you about."

Molly's curiosity showed through her widening eyes as she turned to look at Kath. "Oh?"

"I've been wanting to add a division of investigation to the H.O.P.E. center's work. I've briefly discussed it with Alex in the past. But I just don't know how it would work. You see, I want to begin a small firm. Nothing big. Just something that would help folks find lost loved ones."

"I still don't understand. Why can't they go to the police for that?"

"No, I mean like parents who are unable to contact their kids. Adopted children seeking their birth parents. Siblings looking for each other after all these years. In other words, I want to take the experience I've gained with Trent and apply it to something I've wanted to do for years now."

"I see." Molly thought for a second, gathering a response in mind. "Did you tell Trent this?"

"No. But Alex likes the idea. So we'll probably move forward with it soon. And there's plenty of other details to work out."

"So basically you're not really quitting what you're doing with Trent. You're just…expanding."

"Yeah," Katheryn grinned. "Something like that. In fact, the more I think about it, I may just need Trent's expertise to make it happen."

"Absolutely," Molly chimed in, leaning back with a raspy sigh to rest from her work.

Both ladies suddenly turned towards the kitchen at the sound of their phone ringing. Kath was the first to her feet, jogging over to the phone to catch in on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me," Carlos' voice drew a smile from Katheryn on the other end.

"Hey, you had me worried. I haven't heard from you all day today."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Carlos apologized and explained as he paced his apartment floor, "Trent just left. We've been sorting through police records all evening."

"Any progress?"

"Somewhat. We'll put in the shoe leather tomorrow and see if we can't track him down."

Katheryn could hear the tiredness in Carlos' voice and offered gently, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Carlos insisted, successfully banishing a yawn. "I just can't get over the fact that we could be tracking down an officer here."

"What makes you think it's a cop you're after?"

"I don't know. But he seems to have a pretty big chip on his shoulder towards me. So that's the only thing Trent and I have been able to come up with."

"Wait a minute," Katheryn interrupted, a thought having struck her suddenly. "You said you've been going through police records?"

"Yeah."

"How? You're not on the force anymore. Do they let civilians use police property now?"

Carlos chuckled. "I stopped by the department to tell Ryan what we had come up with so far."

"I bet that went well."

"Tell me about it. He practically threatened me on the spot. But I managed to convince Marita over in records to help me out though."

"That's great then. At least someone's on your side," Katheryn encouraged.

"Yeah. I just hope I didn't get her in trouble too."

"Hey," Katheryn raised her voice slightly. "It'll be alright. I guarantee after all this is over and they've got that creep in prison that they'll be begging for their best detective to come back. They probably don't even know what they're doing without you as we speak."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Carlos took a deep breath, knowing how much he wished he could agree with Kath but couldn't bring himself to consider how well he was adjusting to being away from the force.

"I mean it," Kath insisted.

"And I love you for it," Carlos made sure to say. "I, um, I just don't know if I want to go back."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I've sort of enjoyed the chance to work for myself without the department hanging over me. It definitely has given me a taste of what Trent does. I sort of like it," he concluded his explanation with a breathy chuckle, much to Kath's relief. "Well, I'd best be turning in. Got a long day tomorrow."

"I'll miss you at church," Kath admitted, knowing it was one of the best moments of their week together.

"Me too. But we've got to get this guy before he hurts anyone else."

"I know." A brief silence fell on the line as Katheryn exhaled. "Stay safe. Love you."

"Love you too. Talk to you tomorrow."

"I'll hold you to it."

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

"I gather that was Carlos," Molly pried once Katheryn returned to the couch after hanging up the phone.

"Yeah. How could you guess?"

Molly deadpanned at Katheryn before laughing off Kath's sarcastic question.

"The guys won't be at church tomorrow," Katheryn continued. "They have a lead and will be doing some traveling tomorrow."

"Oh," Molly frowned. "Well, we'll just have to make the most of it."

"What do you mean?!"

"I wasn't sure you'd want me to, but I may have volunteered you to replace Jenn in the choir tomorrow."

"You did not."

"I did. Please don't hate me."

"Oh, I don't hate you. I just wish you would have asked me first."

"Well, I figured you'd have a good excuse to say no if it came up. But now it looks like you don't."

Katheryn gathered her thoughts as quickly as she could and smiled. "You know, don't feel bad at all. I think it's exactly what I need to distract me from thinking about Carlos tomorrow."

"Same here. For Trent I mean."

"Speaking of Trent…"

"Nope. Don't even start."

"Come on! We're practically sisters. And sisters tell each other everything."

Molly finally smiled. "I went over to the dojo this afternoon while you were finishing up your report about the Silvero case."

"And?"

"Trent was alone. He was having quit the time with the shuriken while waiting for Carlos to get back."

"The shuriken?!"

"Yup. Walker's teaching him."

"That's great! I'm glad Walker finally had that talk with him."

"Yeah. Me too," Molly admitted. "Although, he needs a lot of practice from the looks of things."

"And?" Katheryn urged, somewhat ignoring Molly's latter comment.

"We talked."

"About?"

Molly then exhaled sharply, knowing she couldn't hide her excitement for long. A smile slowly spread across her face as she stood and crossed over to the kitchen where she returned seconds late with a small box. Curiously, Katheryn peered over Molly's hands as she opened the petite case to reveal a pearl bracelet, gently bouncing off the light from the nearby lamp.

"It's pretty," Katheryn doted and accepted the bracelet as Molly handed it to her.

"Trent said it belonged to his grandmother. Thunder's mom. When his father was dating Mrs. Malloy, she gave it to him to give to her...as a gift to express their commitment to each other. I—I also think what Carlos went through had him thinking about his own future some. Although he'd never admit it to anyone."

"So…" Kath urged, a smile spreading across her face. "Does this mean?"

"Yes. Although please don't make a big deal about it. Nothing has changed. We're just slightly more committed than before."

"Oh, I'm so happy for you and Trent," Katheryn exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her best friend. "So why aren't you wearing it now?"

Molly slipped the bracelet on to look at it and smiled over at Kath. "I wanted to tell you first before everyone starts asking me where I got it."

"That's sweet of you." Kath took a deep breath, suppressing her excitement. "Wow. I—I'm just so happy for you two. You do know I've been rooting for y'all since you first met?"

"Yeah I know," Molly chuckled. "And you did everything short of trying to play matchmaker too. And don't think I didn't see you when we were on the Malloy's porch that night several months ago."

"What are you talking about?" Kath chuckled and quickly picked up her coffee again to sip on it.

"You know very well what I'm talking about."

"Well, now. Look at the time." Katheryn chuckled and stood, quickly diverting herself into the kitchen to deposit her mug in the sink. She gave the wall clock a brief glance as she started for her bedroom, throwing over her shoulder, "Got to get my rest. Early morning coming, you know."

* * *

Just at the top of the stairs leading up to the loft area of Uppercuts across from the entrance at a fair distance sat Katheryn with Donna directly across from her. The little table that could comfortably seat most of the gang when they came to relax had not long ago been adopted by them. Even Butch himself had begun to kid them that they should go ahead and buy a little plaque to screw into the underside of the end of the table. Yet in the same breath he'd be saying how they would not hear the end of it if they laid a hand on his tables like that. It was all in good-hearted fun of course. Still, none of them dared to find out if the Golden Gloves champ of his day would prove he was just kidding or not. Meanwhile, they had begun to enjoy the little cozy table. It was the perfect spot overlooking the bar downstairs with a direct view of the door while the pool table was in arms reach of the little corner.

It was in moments like this one…a quiet Tuesday afternoon with things final coming to a calm that Katheryn and Donna had escaped from the center early for some dinner and well-deserved girl talk over a couple of cups of steaming hot coffee.

"Alright. Out with it." Donna glared over her coffee cup at Katheryn as she sipped steadily. She kept her eyes pressed on Kath as she set the mug down, raising her eyebrows for emphasis to get her friend's attention. "So?"

"So what?" Katheryn went back to shoving a few bites of food into her mouth.

"Tell me more about your and Carlos' date."

Katheryn scoffed, "Which one?"

"The one that was interrupted by Walker and Alex going AWOL."

"Oh, that one. What's there to tell exactly?"

Donna deadpanned at Katheryn, her eyes widening and a sarcastic smile sweeping over her face.

Making eye contact with Donna, Katheryn slowly set her fork down and gave the room a quick glance over. "Well, I told you pretty much everything already. But, if you insist…."

 _A thirty minute nap was all it had taken to send Katheryn into a whirlwind of preparations as she awoke to see that the time on the kitchen counter clock was correct…much to her dismay. She quickly hurried to shower, dress, and most importantly calm down so that she would be prepared for the evening the way she wanted to be. She had just slipped into her blouse when a knock on the apartment door sent her heart beating twice as fast. Hearing Molly yell that she would get it, Katheryn immediately began scolding herself. It wasn't like this was their first date. Still, no matter how comfortable she was with Carlos now after nearly a year of friendship…and more…sometimes her heart just decided to remind her how much she was in love. If only the tension would stay away. Unfortunately, one came with the other._

 _Molly dipped inside Kath's bedroom with a smile. "He's here," she winked._

 _"_ _I know. I know." Katheryn rushed across the bedroom to slip into her shoes. "How could you have let me oversleep, Molly?"_

 _"_ _You were tired, sis. I figured you deserved some extra shuteye after the day you had."_

 _"_ _It wasn't that bad."_

 _"_ _Kath, you chased a thug down the street of Dallas with Trent."_

 _"_ _True," Kath sighed. "Still, I consider that invigorating not tiring."_

 _"_ _Whatever." Molly disappeared back into the living area of the apartment._

 _After a few minutes alone to collect herself, retreating quickly into the bathroom for one last look at herself in the mirror, Katheryn stepped out of the bedroom and ambled through the living room to where Carlos was, turning around from looking out over the downtown Dallas sunset to greet her with his broad, infectious smile. He kissed her on the lips briefly and slipped a note in her hands._

 _"_ _Oh, what's this?" Katheryn quipped as she slit open the envelope and opened the card. Shortly after reading the contents, she gave Carlos a smile. "Aw, that's sweet of you. I'll be right back. I'm going to go put it on my nightstand. Be right back."_

 _"_ _Alright." Carlos watched with pride as Katheryn darted into the bedroom. He briefly made eye contact with Molly from across the room and returned her wink with another continual smile._

 _Carlos had returned to viewing the sunset for maybe only ten seconds when his cell phone rang from inside his leather coat. He reached for the item, a raspy exhale on his breath as he flipped it open and answered with a quick, "Detective Sandoval."_

 _It was then that Katheryn had returned, slowly approaching him as she watched his face go from happiness to concern. He turned to face Katheryn as he continued to listen to the call. He could see the worry in her eyes and quickly wished to relieve her concern. But as he closed the cell phone and could see her silently urge him on, he wasn't sure how to tell her what he had been told._

 _"_ _What?" Kath urged. By now Molly had joined them._

 _"_ _Um," Carlos cleared his throat. "That was Trivette. C.D. just flat-lined. But they managed to bring him back, thank God. And…Walker and Alex's plane has gone missing."_

 _"_ _Missing?!" Molly queried. "Did it—did it crash?"_

 _"_ _They aren't for sure. Trivette is headed over to the airport now."_

 _"_ _Well let's go," Katheryn exclaimed but was stopped by Carlos' touching her on the arm._

 _"_ _What about our date?"_

 _"_ _Carlos! This is Walker and Alex we're talking about here," Katheryn reasoned. But she sighed and wished she could someone convince Carlos that the last thing she wanted to do was cancel their date. She had looked forward to today for the entire week._

 _"_ _Kath, there's nothing we can do right now. Trivette will call us if anything comes up. If we have to, we'll cut our date short and head over to help. How's that?"_

 _Kath finally was able to smile about the subject despite the raging thoughts going through her head. "I think I can live with that. On one condition…"_

 _"_ _Name it."_

 _"_ _Can we swing by the hospital first?"_

 _"_ _Consider it done."_

 _Much like Carlos had predicted, Trivette called only once to say they were calling it a night. They could do more searching until daylight arrived again._

 _As they came to a stop in front of the apartment building in Carlos' Crown Victoria, Katheryn turned to him, a smile spreading across her face. She almost said some fleeting comment about how wonderful the evening had been but changed her mind as the words began to sound cliché in her mind. Instead, she gathered her few belongings and stepped out into the moonlight, Carlos following closely behind her to walk her to the door._

 _Katheryn was about to conclude that Carlos would think she had gone silent him and would concerned about her when he set his hand on her arm, softly rubbing back and forth before she paused to look into his eyes. Drawing closer, he pressed a kiss on her lips, slipping his other hand around her neck as the moonlight seemed to shine so gloriously in the distance above them._

Donna was lost in a daze as Katheryn finished recounting the evening to her, not leaving one little detail out. Kath watched as Donna stared across into the distance.

"That man has got to be the most romantic man out there," Donna commented, finally pulling herself from her stupor.

"I guess I got lucky," Katheryn replied, turning to see the door to Uppercuts open wide.

Striding into the bar looking tired and done in was Carlos followed closely behind by Trent and Marita Cortez from the department of whom she had met briefly last week.

"Oh my lord," Kath exclaimed, quickly recognizing the look Carlos seemed to get after a fight. And the bruise on his cheek gave him away.

Kath quickly rushed to meet him halfway in front of the downstairs bar counter and reached up a hand to the wound on his face. "What happened to you, Carlos?" she said with concern filling her voice.

"Jack Lesofsky happened."

"Did you get him?"

"Yup," Trent chimed in as he settled on a barstool and took a sip of the drink that Joe set down in front of him.

Carlos cringed and moaned some as Katheryn touched a sensitive spot by his mouth. "Hey, careful."

"Sorry," Katheryn apologized, cringing at the same time. "I guess it hurts some? You may need stitches."

"No, I'll be fine."

"What happened?!" Donna exclaimed, finally joining them at the bar.

"Carlos took down the serial killer," Marita explained. "I owe him my life."

Katheryn smiled. "I'm glad you all made it out okay."

Despite the pain, Carlos briefly kissed Kath on the forehead. "I had to."

Katheryn patted the barstool swiftly as she took one herself. "Now, tell me all about it. And don't leave out one detail."

Carlos chuckled as he took the seat. "You're relentless."

"And don't you forget it, Detective Sandoval. I mean…"

"It's alright," Carlos laughed lightly.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to it," Kath sighed.

"Yeah, me neither. As it turns out, Captain Philipps never turned in my resignation."

"So…you're still a cop?" Donna questioned with a creasing of her brows.

"No," Carlos stated firmly, offering a smile. "I think I need to think it over some."

Katheryn took a second to read the expression on Carlos' face and then replied, "It's going to be okay. You're too smart to be on the sidelines for very long."

"Thanks," Carlos laughed. "Maybe I should try out for the Rangers. But you know, working alone this past week has really opened my eyes to the freedom in working for yourself."

"Then," Kath inserted. "Maybe you and Trent should work together."

"That's not a bad idea," Marita stated confidently.

"Yeah, especially when Trent needs me. Although he'll never admit it."

Just then, the door opened to reveal Ranger Walker. He crossed over to give Trent and Carlos each a firm handshake and then to Katheryn for a quick hug.

"I heard how you two took down the killer. Great job, guys."

"Thanks," Trent and Carlos beamed, answering Walker at the same time.

"Well, what do you say to a little celebration?" Butch grinned, slapping the bar in front of the guys. "I've got a few treats on the house with both of your names on it. You just meet me upstairs. I'll be there in a second."

"Yes, sir," Carlos saluted and eased off the bar stool to comply gladly.

Katheryn rose also and pecked a kiss on Carlos' cheek, causing him to cringe again. "Oh, I'm sorry. Hey, I'll see you later. I've got to run."

"So soon?"

"Yeah. Night shift at the center."

"Have fun," Carlos interjected with a wink and a grin to which Katheryn smiled and went on her way wishing she could stay longer but knew duty called.

They had all entered a new season of uncertainty. But the love among them all was way too strong to separate them anytime soon. The legacy of Thunder still stayed alive and well in each of their hearts, carrying them on into whatever their futures would hold.


End file.
